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High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, occurs when there is elevated force of blood against your artery walls. As the blood pumped by your heart increases and the ability of your arteries to transport blood flow decreases, blood pressure gets higher and can lead to potential health issues. While high blood pressure can be attributed to any number of causes, from stress and diet to underlying medical conditions, there are a few red flags to watch out for. The team of cardiac physicians at DiVagno Interventional Cardiology, MD PA, in Rochelle Park, New Jersey, explain five common symptoms.

5 Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

1. Headaches 

High blood pressure doesn’t just affect heart health; it can manifest itself either as a dull or severe headache. As blood pressure rises, it can cause pressure to build in your cranium, leading to a unique type of headache. Usually, over-the-counter headache medications don’t do much to alleviate the pain—if you have recurring headaches and can’t find relieve, you should see your doctor right away.

High Blood Pressure2. Cognitive Issues 

Over time, unaddressed high blood pressure can lead to changes in cognitive function. These include decreased memory span, getting disoriented during conversations, trouble forming words or sentences, and moments of general confusion, dizziness, or fatigue.

3. Reduced Vision 

High blood pressure can cause blood vessels in the eyes to expand, burst, or bleed, which can lead to a change in visual capacity, or loss of vision altogether.

4. Bleeding 

Since high blood pressure can be a sign of kidney disease, symptoms can also include blood in the urine as a result of narrowing of renal arteries. Nosebleeds can also occur as a symptom of high blood pressure, although they aren’t always a sign of kidney disease.

High Blood Pressure5. Pounding Sensations 

High blood pressure can cause a pounding feeling in your head and chest or behind your ears. Chest pain can sometimes accompany the pounding feeling.

Although high blood pressure has several key indicators, it can take years to diagnose, and the initial symptoms may seem relatively mild. To protect your health, you should know your risk factors and have your blood pressure tested regularly. For more on high blood pressure and heart health, visit the DiVagno Interventional Cardiology, MD PA website. To schedule an appointment for an evaluation, call (201) 845-3535 today.

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