Hi, thank you for your question. Hypertension can lead to many health problems if it is not treated. Stroke is one of the complications of hypertension. A stroke happens when blood supply to an area of brain is cut off. When this occurs, the brain becomes deprived of oxygen and nutrients, thus brain cells begin to die.

There are 2 types of stroke, namely haemorrhagic stroke and ischaemic stroke. Uncontrolled hypertension can damage the blood vessels in your brain, causing the vessels to narrow or rupture. This will eventually lead to a haemorrhagic stroke. Meanwhile, ischaemic stroke occurs when hypertension results in formation of blood clots in blood vessels leading to the brain and blockage of blood flow.

Hypertension can cause atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of artery), which in turn leads to heart attack. Hypertension can also cause the heart to pump harder and eventually results in thickening of heart walls. When the heart fails to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs, it starts to go into failure. Besides, hypertension can weaken the walls of blood vessels and forms an aneurysm (bulge).

Kidney disease is another complication of hypertension. Hypertension cause blood vessels in the kidneys to become weak and narrow, affecting its function. Hypertension can affect blood vessels in your eyes and cause vision loss as well.

Furthermore, hypertension may cause vascular dementia by either limiting the blood flow to the brain or causing a stroke that occludes blood flow to brain completely. Lastly, you may develop metabolic syndrome, which is a group of issues with the body’s metabolism that puts you at risk of developing diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

Healthy lifestyle choices and medications can help to return blood pressure to its normal value and prevent the complications mentioned above.

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