Understanding High Blood Pressure: Symptoms & What to Watch For

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a disorder that thousands of people have, and many more develop every day. Unless a person goes for regular checkups and gets his blood pressure taken, there are very few signs of high blood pressure until a person has had the condition for some time.

Headache

• One of the most common symptoms is people get a headache. This symptom is so vague that most won't connect it with high blood pressure.

Nausea

• A second, general symptom is the person will feel nauseous.

Other Mild Symptoms

• Dizziness and blurred vision are the only other signs of high blood pressure a person is likely to experience before the condition has become serious.

Heart Symptoms

• Heart failure or heart attacks are definite signs a person might have high blood pressure. This is often the first thing that's checked when looking for the cause of these symptoms.

Other Severe Symptoms

• Other severe symptoms of hypertension include kidney failure, eye damage with a loss of vision, stroke and peripheral arterial disease.