According to some studies, high blood pressure causes problems in 13% of women under the age of 44 and almost half when they reach the age of 60. Most of the time, high blood pressure symptoms in women go unnoticed and when not treated right away could lead to kidney damage, stroke, heart attack, and many other cardiovascular diseases. Read about causes of high blood pressure in women
Women with risk factors for developing high blood pressure are :
• Women with family medical history of hypertension
• Females aging 65 years and over
• Females in the post-menopausal age
• Women who use birth control pills
• Who are frequently anxious or stressed
• Those who have none or just little daily physical activities
• Those who have poor eating habits and high intake of salt
• Those who smoke and are overweight
• Those who suffer high cholesterol or with diabetes
Oftentimes, high blood pressure symptoms in women are not present which is why high blood pressure is also called the silent killer. Those who have the condition will never know until they feel something different in their bodies. It is important to have a regular check of your blood pressure every once in a while.
High Blood Pressure Symptoms in Women
Symptoms that usually occur when the blood pressure is above the normal level:
• dizziness
• headache
• nausea and vomiting
• blurred vision
• low sex drive
• fatigue
• profuse sweating
• nosebleed
• insomnia or sleepiness
Based on the indicators stated above, it’s really hard to confirm high blood pressure since many health conditions manifest the same symptoms.
Being the silent killer that it is, oftentimes it is not diagnosed right away and can only be determined when other more serious symptoms surface and affect the organs. Generally, these are already the life threatening complications of hypertension.
• Prolonged high blood pressure causes the blood vessels’ inner walls to become less flexible and more vulnerable to build-up of fats known as atherosclerosis. This condition may lead to stroke.
• Aneurysm is formed when high blood pressure weakens a portion of the blood vessels and causes the formation of bubbles. When aneurysm has formed in the brain and ruptures, it leads to internal bleeding, and eventually, stroke.
• High blood pressure forces the heart to work much harder which causes enlargement of the heart muscles. Because of this, the heart becomes incapable of pumping enough blood needed by the body and may eventually lead to heart failure.
• High blood pressure also causes damage to the kidneys’ small blood vessels which then impedes the kidneys to efficiently filter blood properly. Waste products, thus, accumulate in the blood which is known as uremia.
Because high blood pressure symptoms in women may come without getting detected, it is important for women to get a regular check up. If you are at risk of having high blood pressure based on the risk factors stated above, then it would be wise to get yourself a take-home high blood pressure kit so you can personally monitor your own blood pressure every day. And if you feel any of the symptoms, it is better to be on the safe side and consult your doctor.
