Patient was educated on effects of unresolved hypertension on arteries as follows:
- High blood pressure for prolonged periods can result in microscopic tears in the artery walls. These tears can become potential sites for cholesterol and fat deposition and plaque formation. This narrows and hardens the arteries.
- This can result in compromise of blood supply the organs can receive, resulting in compromise of the function of individual organs.
- Pieces of the deposits in the wall of arteries can break off, causing blood clots and emboli that flow in the blood stream to get deposited in end organs. Outcome depends upon the end organ affected and the extent of blood supply compromised.
- As the lumen of the blood vessels is compromised, the heart must work harder to pump blood through these damaged arteries. This increases work load on the heart and as a compensatory measure, leads to enlargement and thickening of heart muscle. Enlarged heart does not work at optimum level, thus compromising blood supply to all the internal organs.
