Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. Blood pressure measures how much blood the heart pumps along with the amount of force the blood has in the arteries. If the pressure becomes too high, certain health conditions can occur. Narrowing of the arteries causes the heart to work harder is a leading cause of hypertension.
In the beginning stages of hypertension, patients may not have any symptoms; however, damage to the heart and blood vessels still occurs. If blood pressure isn’t controlled, patients can suffer from a heart attack or stroke. Generally, blood pressures slowly rise over a period of time. Luckily, blood pressure is easily monitored.