High blood pressure and heart disease - the intimate connection

High blood pressure and heart disease are closely linked together. To understand why this is so, take a look at the heart's function.

The heart ceaselessly pumps of blood to all nooks and crannies of the body starting before birth till the day the person dies. It pumps blood by contracting its muscles about seventy to eighty times a minute. It continues to do so for seventy years or even more for some individuals. The heart muscles rest during the diastolic phase of the heart's cycle. However, this rest phase is very brief and it starts its action of contraction soon thereafter. High blood pressure has an adverse affect on the heart's functioning, as explained further below.

The muscular tissues within the walls of the heart are very specialized in function and constitution. They are very strong and highly durable. Because of the heart's unceasing activity, it needs a good amount of oxygenated blood for its own functioning. While all muscles need oxygenated blood, the heart needs it even more, because it does not really get to rest for a long period of time after activity, unlike other muscles in the body.

Sometimes, the body has a sudden burst of strenuous activity imposed on it, like when someone runs to catch a bus. If the person is in poor physical shape, the heart and lungs may be unable to meet the sharply increased demand for oxygenated blood. The leg muscles need extra blood and if it is not met, these muscles may cramp and become painful. Of course, in the case of leg muscles, once the person is resting, they have a chance to recover fully from the exertion.

In contrast, the muscles of the heart are not able to recoup so easily from extra loads, because they cannot really stop working. If they were to stop working even for a few minutes, it would result in death.

The heart draws its blood supply from the blood it pumps. This blood is drawn through the coronary arteries, which are connected to the aorta as it exits at the left side of the heart. Under normal circumstances, this blood supply is sufficient to meet increased loads placed on the heart because of bursts of physical activity. However, if the coronary arteries are lined with plaques, it can limit the carrying capacity of these arteries and in turn, significantly curtail cardiac output.

Blood flows continuously through the heart. The problem with high blood pressure is that it places an abnormally high load and pressure on the heart. If this continues for an extended period of time, the heart will no longer be able to cope with the extra load and may fail, with fatal consequences. This is one of the basic problems with sustained high blood pressure.

If it is not detected and treated, excess pressure within the heart can led to heart attacks and other life threatening conditions. If anyone with hypertension complains of chest pain or other abnormal symptoms, it should be treated seriously and medical help sought immediately.

People past age 30 should be asked to have their blood pressure checked regularly. Early detection of high blood pressure is the key to successfully dealing with it and with other related problems.

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