Disorder of circulatory system- Hypertension

Hypertensive heart disease is characterised by structural and functional abnormalities in the left ventricle, left atrium, and coronary arteries as a result of persistent blood pressure elevation, which increases the workload on the heart. Hypertensive heart disease is caused by chronically high blood pressure (greater than 120/80 mmHg). High blood pressure puts a load on your heart, making it more difficult for it to pump blood. The thickening and weakening of your heart muscle might lead to cardiac failure. High blood pressure can cause the walls of your blood vessels to thicken, which becomes more harmful when cholesterol builds up inside the vessels. Then your chances of having a heart attack or having a stroke increase. Men are twice as likely to get heart failure as women, and women are three times as likely.

Symptoms

Many people are unaware that they have high blood pressure because it has no symptoms. Hypertensive cardiovascular disease symptoms typically appear after your heart has already been injured.

Hypertensive heart disease symptoms include:

•  Chest pain
• Shortness of breath.
• Palpitations.
• Dizziness.
• Fainting.
• stroke.
• Sudden cardiac death

Types of hypertensive heart disease

In general, the heart problems associated with high blood pressure are related to the arteries and muscles of the heart. The following are different types of hypertensive heart disease:

Narrowing of the arteries

Coronary arteries deliver blood to the heart muscle. When blood vessels narrow due to high blood pressure, blood flow to the heart can slow or stop. Coronary heart disease (CHD), also known as coronary artery disease, is the name given to this condition. CHD makes it difficult for your heart to function and supply blood to the rest of your organs. A blood clot that gets caught in one of the constricted arteries and cuts off blood supply to your heart can put you at risk for a heart attack.

Thickening and enlargement of the heart

Coronary arteries are the vessels that carry blood to the heart muscle. Regular exercise encourages your heart muscles to thicken and expand, just like the rest of your muscles. The heart’s function is altered as a result of this. The left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber, is where these changes normally occur. Left ventricular hypertrophy is the name of the condition (LVH). Heart have to work harder when you have CHD. The coronary arteries may be compressed if your heart is enlarged by LVH.

Complications

Both CHD and LVH can lead to:

• Heart failure- Your heart is unable to pump enough blood to your other organs.
• arrhythmia: your heart beats abnormally
• ischemic heart disease: your heart does not able to get enough oxygen
• heart attack: The heart’s blood flow is disrupted, and the heart muscle dies from a lack of oxygen.
• stroke and sudden death

Diagnosis

Your doctor will go over your medical history with you, perform a physical examination, and order lab tests to evaluate your kidneys, salt, potassium, and blood count.

To help discover the cause of your symptoms, one or more of the following tests may be used:

• Using ultrasound, an echocardiogram creates a precise image of your heart.
• The electrical activity of your heart is monitored and recorded by an electrocardiogram. Patches will be applied to your chest, legs, and arms by your doctor. Your doctor will interpret the results, which will be displayed on a screen.
• Coronary angiography is a procedure that checks the blood flow in your coronary arteries. A catheter is a tiny tube that is put into your heart through your groin or an artery in your arm.
• The purpose of an exercise stress test is to see how exercise affects your heart. You might be instructed to walk on a treadmill or peddle an exercise bike.

Conclusion

Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is a medical disorder that occurs when the blood pressure rises to dangerously high levels. When the smallest blood vessels of the body (arterioles) narrow, blood exerts an excessive amount of pressure against the artery walls, forcing the heart to work harder to maintain the pressure. Even though the heart and blood vessels can tolerate high blood pressure for months or years, the heart eventually enlarges (hypertrophy) and becomes weaker to the point of failure. Blood arteries in the brain, kidneys and eyes may potentially be damaged. The systolic and diastolic pressures are used to  measure separately in blood pressure. As the heart contracts to pump blood to the peripheral organs and tissues, the systolic pressure (the greater pressure and the first value recorded) is the force that blood exerts on the artery walls. The diastolic pressure (the lower number) is the remaining pressure present on the arteries as the heart relaxes between beats.