How serious is it?

High blood pressure can be a serious medical disorder because it puts a strain on the body’s entire circulatory system. High blood pressure makes the heart work harder and can damage blood vessels and organs throughout the body. The longer high blood pressure is left untreated, the more damage it does. Sometimes the consequences of high blood pressure can be fatal.

Without treatment, high blood pressure can damage:

For most people, high blood pressure cannot be cured but it can be controlled. This usually involves life-long treatment and monitoring. Keeping blood pressure under control helps to limit and even prevent damage to the body’s blood vessels and vital organs. This in turn lowers the likelihood of more serious problems such as heart failure, stroke, and kidney disease.

Compared with people with controlled or normal blood pressure, people with uncontrolled high blood pressure are:

• Three times more likely to develop heart disease
  
• Six times more likely to develop heart failure
  
• Seven times more likely to have a stroke

If you have high blood pressure it is important to follow your doctor’s advice. The effects of high blood pressure can be reduced or even prevented if it is treated and controlled early, and kept under control.


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