Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, or hypertension as some like to call it, is a common condition that is widely misunderstood.  Because of this, not many people are aware of the hazards of high blood pressure and therefore put themselves in danger.

High blood pressure acquired the name "silent killer", because in the initial stages it presents minimal to no symptoms. In truth, nearly one out of every three people who have hypertension doesn’t know it. The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to get your blood pressure checked on a regular basis. This is especially important if you have a close relative who has high blood pressure.

If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for, including:

• Severe headache
• Fatigue or confusion
• Vision problems
• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Irregular heartbeat
• Blood in the urine
• Pounding in your chest, neck, or ears

About one percent of people with high blood pressure do not seek medical care until the high blood pressure is very severe. Severe blood pressure is also known as malignant hypertension. If you have any of the above symptoms, you should get checked out by your doctor just in case. You could be having a hypertensive crisis that could lead to serious diseases, including stroke, heart disease, kidney failure and eye problems. In order to prevent brain hemorrhage or stroke, emergency intervention is necessary so you can quickly lower your blood pressure to safe levels.

It can't be expressed enough how extremely important it is to realize that high blood pressure can be unrecognized for years, causing no symptoms while at the same time causing advanced injury to the heart, other organs, and blood vessels. Early diagnosis of high blood pressure will give you the best chance of keeping your body healthy.