High blood pressure doesn’t hurt, untreated high blood pressure can affect the whole body and cause a number of preventable diseases. In addition to strokes or myocardial infarction, it can result in kidney problems, deterioration of vision or even blindness, and in men it can also be related to erectile dysfunction. This was stated by cardiologist Anna Vachulová from the Cardiology Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine, UK and the National Institute of Heart and Vascular Diseases (NÚSCH) in the TASR TV Zdravie program.
“The most prominent complication that everyone fears is a stroke,” the doctor evaluated. She pointed out that Slovakia has an extremely high incidence of strokes. Untreated high blood pressure is a serious risk factor for dementia.
The heart is one of the organs on which high blood pressure can be most affected – by a whole range of serious problems. It can be different types of arrhythmias, i.e. heart rhythm disorders. “The most common arrhythmia related to high blood pressure is atrial fibrillation, which we can detect, for example, by the fact that when measuring blood pressure, the sphygmomanometer can show an irregular pulse,” the doctor explained. “In addition to arrhythmias, which is electrical damage, the heart can begin to fail as a pump, meaning it no longer works,” added.
High blood pressure contributes to the faster development of atherosclerosis, that is, to the narrowing of blood vessels, which can ultimately lead to a myocardial infarction. “With untreated hypertension, even the large vessels leading blood to the brain or the lower limbs can narrow and become blocked. Their narrowing leads to a gradual deterioration of the blood supply,” added the expert.
Untreated hypertension also significantly damages the kidneys. On the one hand, it is their gradual direct damage and at the same time disrupts the function of small and large blood vessels. In addition to measuring blood pressure, we can detect kidney damage in time from urine. “On the basis of a very sensitive marker that we can determine from the morning urine of every patient with hypertension, we can determine whether the patient has damaged kidneys,” she specified. Damage caught in this way can then be targeted with appropriate treatment.
The doctor explains that high blood pressure is not a separate disease, patients usually have it in combination with other metabolic diseases or with already developed complications of high blood pressure. “In Slovakia, roughly 70 percent of people who have high blood pressure also have high lipids, high cholesterol and fats at the same time,” zoomed in. As she added, almost 20 percent of patients have hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus at the same time. “Up to 80 percent of patients with hypertension in Slovakia are either overweight or obese,” she stated.
Since high blood pressure does not hurt, up to 50 percent of people may not know about it, according to the cardiologist. “For others, it can be manifested by a persistent headache, someone can feel a deterioration of vision, fatigue, shortness of breath, someone can have epistaxis, that means they can have a nosebleed. And someone can say: I feel so strange… and they can’t specify it further.” she clarified.
When people start treating their high blood pressure, they feel better and more in control relatively quickly. “It brings not only an improvement in the quality of life, but especially healthy years to life, if people correctly follow all the recommended measures, i.e. lifestyle changes and pharmacological treatment,” added.
According to the expert, an important role in the management of hypertension is played by adherence, that is, consistent adherence to the prescribed treatment regimen by the patient – lifestyle change, regular use of medication. “Adherence to a medication regimen is a lifelong discipline because the treatment of these chronic, painless conditions, such as high blood pressure, must be lifelong,” emphasized Vachulová. This is precisely why March 27th is declared World Adherence Day: a day that draws attention to the fact that regular and consistent use of treatment can fundamentally improve patient outcomes and prevent serious complications.
“According to the World Health Organization (WHO), undertreated or untreated hypertension is the most common cause of heart failure, which leads to a high number of hospitalizations every year. And every year these numbers are confirmed again.” she warned. “Neurologists will tell you that as Slovakia we stand out significantly with the number of strokes. But all of this could be prevented if people started treating their blood pressure early and stayed on that treatment,” she evaluated.
According to the doctor, every person under the age of 40 should have their blood pressure measured at least once every two years. After the age of 40, it is recommended to measure blood pressure values at least once a year. “From 2021, every year we are looking for people who have high blood pressure and don’t know it, as part of the May Measurement Month (MMM) event,” the doctor explained that people can also have their blood pressure measured as part of such awareness. “This promotion doesn’t last only in May, it starts from May 1, ends on July 31,” she added, saying that if people see the red “MMM” logo in the streets, they should not hesitate to have their blood pressure measured by experts who will advise them.
