High blood pressure (hypertension) puts extra strain on your heart and blood vessels. This can cause them to become weaker or damaged.
The higher your blood pressure, the higher your risk of serious health problems in the future. High blood pressure can affect your body in a number of ways:
- Your heart: high blood pressure can cause you to have a heart attack. It can also cause heart failure.
- Your brain: high blood pressure is a leading cause of strokes. It has also been closely linked to some forms of dementia.
- Your kidneys: high blood pressure can cause kidney disease.
- Your limbs: high blood pressure can cause peripheral arterial disease, which can affect your legs.
If you have other health conditions, such as diabetes or high cholesterol, this increases your risk of health problems even more. It is then even more important to lower your high blood pressure.
