Atherosclerosis

• As you age, your arteries become less elastic and develop a condition known as hardening of the arteries. Arteries become thick and stiff, and fat deposits can stick to artery walls. Hypertension can speed up this aging process and cause fat deposits to create blockages in your arteries that prevent blood flow.
  
  

Heart Attack

• Arteries to your heart can narrow and become blocked by fat deposits. If an artery that carries blood to your heart is completely blocked, this can cause a heart attack, which damages the part of the heart muscle that isn't receiving blood.
  
  

Stroke

• Damage to arteries by hypertension can lead to a stroke. Hypertension can cause blood vessels in your brain to become weaker. If the weakened blood vessel ruptures, you're having a stroke. Another kind of stroke is the result of a narrow artery being blocked by a clot.
  
  

Kidney Damage

• Waste products in your body are disposed of by your kidneys. Some of your blood vessels carry blood to your kidneys for cleansing. When hypertension damages those blood vessels, waste products can build up in your blood and release toxins that damage your kidneys.
  
  

Enlarged Heart

• The higher your blood pressure becomes, the harder your heart has to work. This can cause it to become enlarged. An enlarged heart can stop working properly and fluids can back up into your lungs.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• The best way to prevent hypertension is to lose weight, eat less salt and saturated fat, eat more food with potassium, magnesium and calcium, stop smoking, limit the amount of alcohol you drink, and exercise. If your blood pressure is still too high, you may need medication to lower it.