Chronic hypertension natural history

Hypertension Main page
Overview
Causes
Classification Primary Hypertension Secondary Hypertension Hypertensive Emergency Hypertensive Urgency
Screening

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Assistant Editor-In-Chief: Taylor Palmieri

Overview

Hypertension is a well-established risk factor for several serious diseases. Chronic uncontrolled hypertension can be complicated by target organ damage. Most common damaged organs include the cardiovascular system, the brain, the kidneys, and the retina. Even moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure leads to a shortened life expectancy. At severely high mean arterial pressures, 50% or more above average, a person can expect to live no more than just a few years unless appropriately treated.

Complications

Chronic uncontrolled hypertension can be complicated by target organ damage. According to JNC 7, the list of target organ damage includes:

Cardiovascular System

• Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH)
• Myocardial infarction (MI)
• Heart Failure
• Aneurysm
• Peripheral vascular disease

Brain

• Stroke
• Intracerebral hemorrhage
• Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
• Dementia

Kidneys

• Microalbuminuria
• Proteinuria going to nephrotic-range proteinuria
• Renal failure

Eyes

• Retinopathy

Prognosis

Hypertension cannot be completely cured .It can be well controlled under the normal limits if one tries to follow lifestyle preventive measures like exercising, eating a heart healthy diet, avoiding the different risk factors like high cholesterol salty diet, smoking alcohol intake,stress.Besides that medications are given as mentioned above.But if not well-controlled it can lead to various complications as are described below.So it is always important to maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle.<refhttp://www.americanheart.org/</ref>