High blood pressure has a negative impact on blood flow, especially to the brain. The brain needs glucose and oxygen to stay alive, and having hypertension can reduce or prevent the flow of blood and glucose to brain cells, causing disability, brain damage or death. High blood pressure can elevate your chances of having a stroke by four to six times, compared to a person with normal or healthy blood pressure readings. Hypertension causes hardening of the large arteries and a condition called atherosclerosis, to progress. It can also cause blockages in the small blood vessels. This can cause blood vessels to weaken and burst.
Atherosclerosis narrows the space in your arteries as plaques and fatty deposits occupy space that should be used by blood. It can also cause cholesterol plaques to dislodge in the brain, which can block blood flow and result in an embolic stroke. Atherosclerosis can also cause weakening of the arterial walls, which breaks blood vessels down. If this occurs, bleeding can happen in the brain and result in a hemorrhagic stroke. People who have malformed blood vessels are at greater risk of hemorrhagic stroke if they have untreated high blood pressure, because of the damage the condition can cause for blood vessels.
Both small and large arteries are at risk from damage due to blood pressure, a condition that is believed to affect as many as 50-million Americans, and which presents asymptomatically more often than not.
In order to minimize your chances of having a stroke, you need to manage your blood pressure effectively. Risk factors for high blood pressure include obesity, living a sedentary lifestyle, a diet that is high in fat and salt, smoking, a lot of stress, alcohol consumption, high cholesterol levels, heredity, being of older age, being male and having diabetes.
Managing your high blood pressure is essential to prolong your life and lower your chances of having a brain or heart attack. Affordable healthcare in Las Vegas can help you to formulate a treatment plan that minimizes your risk.