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High Blood Pressure Symptoms

The scariest thing about high blood pressure is that often it has no symptoms. High blood pressure has been dubbed “the silent killer” by doctors because so many people in North America have high blood pressure and don’t even know it, let alone have high blood pressure symptoms. High blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke and heart attack.

Although there are no sure fire methods to detect high blood pressure, you may find in severe cases there are a few things to look out for. Again, often there are no symptoms, so don’t be lulled into a sense of false security because you aren’t experiencing any of these symptoms.

Common Symptoms

One so called symptoms of high blood pressure is headaches. Because your blood is under higher than normal pressure, and much of your blood goes to your head (the one on top of your shoulders) it is possible to experience headaches when you have high blood pressure.

You may also experience chest pains or tightness in your chest. If you have this symptom of high blood pressure, it is likely that you have very high blood pressure and should see a doctor right away.

Nose bleeds, tingling and numbness in the extremities may be another symptom of high blood pressure. These symptoms will come and go, but if you are experiencing any of these symptoms of high blood pressure, you should see your doctor immediately.

If you have high blood pressure because of a tumour or an adrenal gland problem you may experience perspiration above the norm, muscle cramps, weakness, palpitations and my personal favourite; excessive urination.

If you are experiencing dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, memory loss or nausea it could be because you have malignant hypertension. This type of high blood pressure leaves you at a much higher risk of suffering from a stroke or a heart attack in the near future if left untreated.

If you are over the age of sixty five it becomes even more important that you get a regular check up of your blood pressure. More than half of Americans over the age of sixty five have high blood pressure and don’t even know it. If you are over the age of sixty five and are showing signs of any of the symptoms of high blood pressure mentioned in this article, it is even more important for you to see your doctor.

Since symptoms of high blood pressure are not guaranteed to show up even if you do have high blood pressure, it is important that each and every one of us takes their health into their own hands and gets their blood pressure checked on a regular basis. It’s the only smart thing to do.

Jim Shaw