Hypertensive Heart Disease
Hypertensive heart disease can develop in people having high blood pressure for a prolonged time and they don't manage it properly. The additional strain on the heart could result in heart failure or other health issues. This is why it is critical to determine whether you have high blood pressure and to treat it ontime. Changes in your lifestyle can also help your heart. Let's understand more about hypertensive heart disease!
Hypertensive heart disease is caused by chronically high blood pressure (higher than 120/80 mmHg). People who continue to have high blood pressure are more likely to develop heart disease. People over 65 are most likely to experience heart failure.
Chronic high blood pressure affects the heart and makes it harder to pump blood. The muscle in your heart can become thick and weak, possibly leading to heart failure. High blood pressure can cause the walls of your blood vessels to thicken, which becomes more harmful when cholesterol accumulates inside the blood vessels. The chances of having a heart attack or a stroke increases.
Compared to women, men are two times more likely to develop heart failure, if they have high blood pressure. On the other hand, people who control their high blood pressure can significantly reduce this health problem.
People with hypertensive heart disease and heart failure are more likely to develop:
- Decompensated heart failure
- Acute coronary syndrome
- Sudden cardiac arrest
Know the types of hypertensive heart disease!
High blood pressure makes the heart work faster in order to push blood through the blood vessels. When plaque accumulates in the blood vessels or a portion of the heart muscle enlarges as a result of high blood pressure, people may experience the following problems:
- Coronary artery disease
- Left ventricular hypertrophy (enlarged heart)
Who is prone to hypertensive heart disease?
Hypertensive heart disease is a possibility if you:
- Have diabetes
- Have high cholesterol
- Don't exercise
- Are overweight
- Have high blood pressure
- Drink alcohol
- Above age 45
- Eat a high-salt diet
- Smoke or use tobacco products
Identify the symptoms of hypertensive heart disease!
Because high blood pressure has no symptoms, many people are unaware that they have it. Hypertensive cardiovascular disease symptoms commonly occur after the heart has already been harmed.
Symptoms of hypertensive heart disease include:
Treating hypertensive heart disease
The severity of the condition and the person's medical history affect how people are treated for hypertensive heart disease.
Medication
Medications benefit the heart in a number of ways. The major goals are to keep your blood from clotting, to improve blood flow, and to lower your cholesterol.
Among the most common heart disease medications are:
- Water pills could help reduce blood pressure.
- Nitrates for chest pain, statins for high cholesterol, calcium channel blockers, and ACE inhibitors for blood pressure reduction
- Aspirin is used to prevent blood clots.
It is critical to take all medications exactly as directed by the doctors.
Surgeries and devices
Surgery to improve blood flow to the heart may be required in more severe cases. If patients need assistance regulating the rate or rhythm of their hearts, the doctor may surgically implant a battery-powered device known as a pacemaker in the chest. A pacemaker delivers electrical stimulation to the heart muscle, causing it to contract. When heart muscle electrical activity is too slow or absent, a pacemaker implant is necessary and advantageous.
- Implantable devices called cardioverter-defibrillators can be used to treat severe, potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias.
- Blocked coronary arteries are treated with CABG (coronary artery bypass graft surgery). Only in severe CHD is this done. If the disease is especially severe, a heart transplant or other heart-assisting devices might be required.
Now the question is; How can I prevent hypertensive heart disease?
If you are older than 18, check your blood pressure once a year. If your readings are high, get tested more often. Bring the blood pressure down and maintain it if it's high. Early diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure may prevent you from developing:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Eye problems
- Chronic kidney disease
Other things you can do:
- Treat the diabetes
- Treat the high cholesterol
Conclusion
Keep your blood pressure in control by consulting a cardiologist, taking medications on time and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Controlling blood pressure is one of the most critical things anyone can do to prevent hypertensive heart disease.
Did you know?
Hypertensive heart disease is the major cause of high blood pressure disease and fatality!
