Unchecked hypertension a silent threat, caution doctors

CHENNAI: Hypertension, another name for high blood pressure, can be a slow poison that adversely affects your body even before any clear symptoms.

If left untreated, high blood pressure can result in death by heart attack or stroke and in some cases lead to disability.

According to the American Heart Association recommendation, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings should be below 140 mm Hg and 80 mm Hg respectively. The recurring readings crossing this threshold are considered hypertension and when left unmanaged, it can lead to severe complications, including haemorrhage, as per the association.

Dr Anup Rawool, the Associate Director of Medical Genetics and head of Scientific and Medical Affairs at MedGenome says that hypertension occurs when the force of blood against the walls of the arteries is consistently too high. As a result, the brain’s blood vessels weaken and are more prone to rupture eventually leading to haemorrhage or bleeding within the brain, he said.

Uncontrolled blood pressure causes excessive strain on blood vessels making them more vulnerable to rupture. Besides the significant factors like age and family history, poor lifestyle choices including a high-sodium diet, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, and lack of physical activity can worsen the condition, as per the medical sources.

“Certain medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, and sleep apnea can exacerbate hypertension and further increase the likelihood of haemorrhage. Besides regular blood pressure monitoring, genetic testing offers personalised risk assessment enabling the individuals to understand their genetic predisposition to hypertension,” added Dr Anup.