Hypertension kills about 7.5 million people yearly! This is more than 5 times the number of deaths attributed to HIV and AIDS annually. Even with the growing awareness on hypertension, the fatalities associated with it is persistently on the rise, especially in third world countries where lack of an adequate healthcare delivery system impairs early diagnosis and prompt management of the condition.


Notoriously famed as the silent killer, hypertension, at its earliest stage, is often symptomless, and sufferers never get to know about it until very late into its progression when a lot of terrible complications begin to manifest. In order to avoid the tragic and very preventable deaths that result from it, it is very important that one is vigilant and immediately notifies his or her doctor when any of the following symptoms are noticed:


#1. Chest pain: this is a chest pain that's often described as left-sided, gripping in nature and occasionally radiates to and is felt on the jaw or left arm. Even when you are not hypertensive, this is one symptom you don't want to ever ignore! This is because hypertension or high bp has been associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction and heart failure.


#2. Severe headaches: mild headaches are usually the first symptom of long-standing hypertension. This nuisance of a headache is often tolerable for most people. However, when the headache becomes too severe and unbearable, then alert your doctor immediately! One of the most feared complication of a high bp is a stroke (hemorrhagic stroke), where a blood vessel in the brain ruptures due to the high pressure of blood flow. When this happens, a very severe headache, which gets progressively worse, ensues. Occasionally, following this headache is an episode of syncope (fainting): the patient collapses and loses consciousness. Report this symptom to your doctor asap!


#3. Difficulty with seeing or eye pain: often described as blurry vision, this symptom is indicative of severe hypertension that has damaged the small blood vessels (the retinal arteries) of the eyes leading to a condition described as hypertensive retinopathy. If not promptly addressed, this condition can progress to complete blindness! So if you are hypertensive, and you suddenly notice that you are having difficulty with seeing clearly, then talk to your doctor about it without delay.


#4. Pounding heartbeat: medically known as palpitation, this is one symptom to never ignore. It can be provoked at rest, but it is more associated with physical activities. In fact, even an activity as mild as sweeping the room is enough to make your heart pound so loudly that you are forced to take a break from whatever you are doing to catch your breathe. This pounding of the heart is often associated with feelings of anxiety as well. Suffice it to say that this symptom also occurs in other conditions that are unrelated to hypertension such as stress, caffeine consumption, thyroid disease, anemia, certain drugs use and exercise, however, when you are hypertensive, you should and must tell your doctor about it.


#5. Easy fatiguability: this an extreme weakness of the body that often follows very mild physical activity like combing your hair, walking a few meters or climbing the stairs, and it is a symptom of heart failure, a complicatiom of long-standing and poorly managed hypertension. Eventually, the weakness, if not promptly looked into and addressed, can become so severe that even the mere act of lyingly down and doing nothing causes severe discomfort.


#6. Bleeding from the nose: nosebleeds, also known as epistaxis, are often a symptom of an hypertensive crisis and must be taken very seriously. At this point, the BP would have exceeded 180/110mmHg. Of course, there are several causes of nosebleeds, but when they occur in a hypertensive patient, then it must never ignored. Very often, when this happens, other symptoms such as severe headache and blurry vision also accompany it.


#7. Swollen legs: this symptom may be a direct consequence of heart failure or kidney damage, both of which can be caused by hypertension. The swollen legs are often persistent, painless and form an indentation when pressed.


For questions, complaints or clarifications, please click on this link www.DoctorsHub.com.ng/our doctors and have any of our doctors attend to you.


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Until another time,
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http://doctorshub.com.ng/2017/01/25/7-symptoms-of-hypertension-you-must-tell-your-doctor-about/

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