You can suffer from symptoms usually associated with aging depending on certain conditions. High blood pressure is one of those conditions. Keep reading for more information.

What Is Blood Pressure?

The heart pumps blood throughout the entire body. Blood leaves the heart to go to the lungs, where it is oxygenated. Then the heart pumps the oxygen rich blood the arterial vascular system all the cells in the body. The cells use the oxygen and deoxygenated blood is carried via the venous system back to the lungs where it picks up more oxygen.

Just like water in your home’s plumbing, a certain amount of pressure is needed to move the blood through the veins and arteries. Normally an acceptable blood pressure reflects two numbers: systolic (upper number), the pressure exerted when the heart is pumping blood and diastolic (lower number), the pressure exerted when the heart is at rest. Ideally blood pressure needs to be in the range of  a systolic value of less than140 and a diastolic number of less than 90.

Higher numbers indicate that something is causing the pressure needed to move a volume of blood to increase. It could be due to a narrowing of the vessels (caused by high cholesterol or plaque build-up), stress, obesity, high salt intake, a problem with the values of the heart or genetics. This condition is known as high blood pressure, or hypertension.

The Problems of High Blood Pressure

It doesn’t really matter what the cause of your high blood pressure is. Whatever the cause, it poses certain problems for your body.

 Artery damage – Increased pressure and stress on the walls of the arteries may result in actual damage to the tissues. When that happens, an inflammatory response occurs. The walls may become thicker and stiffer, leading to a smaller lumen (opening) for the blood to flow through. The heart must pump harder to move the same volume of blood and that means a higher blood pressure. If you also have a problem with bad cholesterol plaques, the increased pressure could dislodge them, turning them into emboli (things that block the blood flow).

 Heart condition – When the heart has to pump harder, the heart may become larger since it is a muscle. It can also fail, or experience an infarct in a portion of the muscle that can lead to a heart attack.

Stroke – The cholesterol plaques that break off as a result of high blood pressure can travel along in the vascular system until they get stuck in a smaller vessel. This often happens in the lungs or the brain. Both can result in death. In the brain it is called a stroke.

Beyond the blockage, the brain tissue is not receiving oxygenated blood. Since the brain needs 20 percent more oxygen than the rest of the body, this can lead to decreased functioning like speech impairment, numbness or paralysis on one side of the body and other problems.

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure it’s important to work to reduce it to normal levels and avoid the dangers.

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