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Doctors Lounge - Cardiology Answers
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| Cowboy1978
- Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:22 pm |
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Hello. I was just wondering if anyone could tell me what are the signs of hypertension if you've had it for a while & it's gone untreated. What are the first signs of damage? I just got put on blood pressure medication yesterday & want to know how long I may have had it, & if some of the problems I'm having now are from the untreated hypertension.
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| Debbie Miller, RN
- Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:57 pm |
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 Hello,
I'm glad to see you are now being treated for the hypertension. It is difficult to say both how long you may have had this and what damage may have occurred as a result of no treatment.
Many people have no symptoms at all even with severe hypertension. Others sometimes experience visual disturbance, headache, dizziness, shortness of breath. Untreated hypertension can lead to heart failure or stroke without any prior warning (thus, the label "silent killer"). For this reason, regular medical exams which include such screenings are recommended for all people.
Chronic high blood pressure can lead to an enlarged heart, kidney failure, brain or neurological damage, and changes in the retina. This is usually associated with people who have had hypertension for quite a while; not the newly acquired.
Early treatment can prevent most of the complications. If you have never been checked for this in the past, it is hard to say how early this might be.
Best wishes.
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