High Blood Pressure Symptoms in Men

Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the most prevalent health conditions today with estimates stating that almost one-third of India’s population will suffer from it by the year 2020. The recent health data shows that every one in four adults has high BP with around 20 crore Indians already suffering from it with 10 million added to that list every year. The incidence of hypertension is 20 to 40% in urban areas and 12 to 17% in rural areas of India. Approximately, 23.10% men and 22.60% women above 25 years of age have high blood pressure.

This condition is dangerous as high blood pressure symptoms are not evident, in fact, most people who suffer from it are not even aware that they have high BP. But the repercussion of uncontrolled or untreated high blood pressure are serious and can cause severe damage to the body’s vital organs such as arteries, heart, brain, and kidneys among others.

Hypertension Symptoms In Men

• Have difficulty breathing.

• Have irregular heartbeat.

• Get severe headaches.

• Experience memory loss or confusion.

• Feel fatigued or weak.

• Have blurred vision.

• Pounding in your chest, neck, or ears.

As mentioned above high BP does not show visible symptoms and is therefore often referred to as the silent killer. But there might be some early signs of hypertension that men (and women) need to pay close attention.

If you are consistently suffering from the above then you may have high blood pressure and need to consult your doctor.

High Blood Pressure Concerns For Men

Earlier it was thought that only elderly men were affected by high blood pressure. But recent medical data shows high blood pressure symptoms in men are also common in younger men, (35 and less) and should be taken just as seriously as in their older counterparts.
High blood pressure or hypertension kills nearly 1.5 million people every year in South-East Asia as hypertension affects the major organs & functions of the human body such as:

1. Narrowed Arteries –

   High BP can damage the inner lining of the arteries making them less elastic limiting blood flow. Hypertension can weaken the artery walls causing a section of a wall to enlarge and form a bulge or aneurysm which, if ruptured, can cause internal bleeding that can be fatal.

2. Heart Damage –

   Uncontrolled high blood pressure narrows arteries which supply blood to the heart muscles. Narrow arteries mean that the free flow of blood to the heart is impeded and can cause chest pain, irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) or even a heart attack. High BP means that the heart has to work much harder to pump blood and can cause the left ventricle to stiffen. This affects its ability to pump blood to the body increasing the risk of heart failure and sudden cardiac death.

3. Brain Damage –

   As with the heart, the brain needs smooth blood flow to function properly. High blood pressure disrupts this easy blood flow and can lead to a blood clot or transient ischemic attack, a warning that a full-blown stroke may happen. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause blood clots in the arteries that go to the brain and may lead to stroke (by damaging and weakening the brain’s blood vessels, causing them to narrow, rupture or leak).In addition to a stroke, high blood pressure can also cause vascular dementia (difficulty with thinking, speaking, reasoning, memory, vision, and movement) or mild cognitive impairment due to an interruption of blood flow to the brain.

4. Kidney Problems –

   The kidneys are the waste disposal system in the human body throwing out excess fluids and waste matter. The kidneys depend on healthy blood vessels for performing the task and high blood pressure can injure both the blood vessels in and leading to the kidneys, causing several types of kidney diseases such as kidney failure, kidney artery aneurysm or kidney scarring.

5. Vision Damage –

   High blood pressure can damage the vessels supplying blood to the retina resulting in blurred vision or in extreme cases loss of vision. Hypertension can also cause optic nerve damage (optic neuropathy) which causes bleeding within the eyes or even vision loss.

6. Sexual Dysfunction –

   As men age (after 50 years), the inability to maintain an erection is common but men who suffer from high blood pressure may face erectile dysfunction more frequently as high BP limits blood flow to the pelvic area (high BP damages the lining of the blood vessels and causes the arteries to harden and narrow thus impeding smooth blood flow) making it difficult to achieve and maintain erections.

As high BP has no obvious symptoms, the only way to maintain blood pressure levels is to get the BP checked and monitored regularly from the doctor. In addition to that adopting healthy lifestyle choices such as quitting smoking & alcohol, including a healthy high fiber, low sodium diet foods, having a regular exercise regimen, getting enough sleep, keeping stress levels to a minimum can keep the blood pressure levels in the normal and healthy range.

What causes high blood pressure in men?

• Overweight

• Stressed out a lot.

• Having a family history of high BP.

• Getting on in age.

• Have no regular exercise regimen.

• A smoker & a heavy drinker.

• Eat lots of salt(high sodium diet).

Note of caution: This article is for information purpose only. Always consult your doctor in case of any blood pressure or other health-related problems.