High Blood Pressure: Potential Organ Damage & Health Risks

High Blood Pressure - Also known as hypertension

Organs that can be affected:

- Kidneys: Hypertension and kidney disease often occur together. Severe, long-standing high blood pressure can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys and reduce their function.

- Eyes: Hypertension can damage the delicate blood vessels in the retina (retinopathy), which can lead to vision impairment, bleeding within the eye, and blindness.

- Brain: Uncontrolled hypertension can increase the risk of developing a brain aneurysm (a bulging, weakened area in the wall of a brain artery) that can rupture and bleed or stroke (loss of brain function due to interrupted blood flow).

- Heart: Hypertension can cause the heart to enlarge and weaken, leading to heart failure (the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs) or coronary artery disease (blockage of the blood supply to the heart muscle).

- Aorta (the major blood vessel leading from the heart): Hypertension can cause the aorta to weaken and balloon (aortic aneurysm). If an aortic aneurysm bursts, it can cause life-threatening bleeding.