Hypertension leading to heart failure

Blood pressure indicates the force within the wall of the arteries during the delivery of blood
throughout the body. The blood pressure is recorded in two values and expressed in millimetres
of mercury (mmHg). The first value represents the systolic pressure that is pressure produced in
the arteries during contraction of the heart. While the second value is the diastolic pressure, in
which the pressure in the arteries taken between beats of the heart. As such, blood pressure is
commonly used in health screening to tell the overall health of an individual. Unfortunately, due
to today’s hectic life promoting unhealthy lifestyles that cause hypertension, which becomes one
of the leading causes of many types of cardiovascular diseases.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a chronic medical condition described as abnormally high
pressure exerted against the wall of the arteries. Unlike the ideal blood pressure for an adult
which is between 90/60mmHg to 120/80mmHg, hypertension patients will suffer elevated blood
pressure with the value above 130/80mmHg. Hypertension can be identified in two types that is
primary hypertension and secondary hypertension. Primary or essential hypertension is high
blood pressure developed long period from no known causes while secondary hypertension is
due to an underlying disease that resulted in sudden high blood pressure. Moreover,
hypertension is known as the silent killer as it tends to be diagnosed along with other organs
diseases such as kidney disease. As hypertension progresses, the risk of further complications
increases. This is due to damages to the walls of the blood vessels and the organ’s blood
vessels leading to the organ damage and other complications.
Hypertension often used as an indication for cardiovascular problems as blood pressure relates
to the condition of the heart. As such, one of the common cardiovascular complications caused
by hypertension is heart failure. Heart failure is a condition in which the wall of the heart is
weakened leading to insufficient supply of blood to the body. Hypertension leads to heart failure
due to the increasing burden on the heart as the high pressure against the arteries walls causing
the tunica media of the arteries to be firm making it unable to contract properly. The ineffective
contraction causes the heart to compensate by raising its workload to meet up with the body’s
demands and the left ventricle of the heart slowly becomes weakened and enlarged over time.
Thus, the weakened heart supplies less oxygen and nutrient to the body.
With the lack of awareness that keeps raises to an unhealthy lifestyle, the incidence rate of
hypertension is likely to increase with the estimation of 1 in every 3 individual to be diagnosed
with hypertension. As there are multiple factors that influence the risk of having hypertension
such as age, sex, obesity and other health conditions. Asides that, improper diets which consist
of high sodium intake will also contribute to hypertension. Hence, it is important to monitor the
blood pressure to detect early signs of hypertension and prevent irreversible damage.