High blood pressure is a frequent occurrence. Very often a tendency to have raised blood pressure is inherited, but other factors also contribute towards the problem, for example being overweight, lack of exercise, stress, taking painkillers, and an unhealthy diet. Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to cardiac insufficiency, pathologically enlarged heart, stroke, heart attack, and premature hardening of the arteries. In the initial stages, raised blood pressure very often goes unnoticed. However, there may also be accompanying signs, such as headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, breathlessness, and chest pain.
Once arterial hypertension has been diagnosed as needing treatment, very often thanks to long-term blood pressure monitoring, in most cases a suitable course of drugs will lower the blood pressure to normal levels. Highly motivated patients are often able to bring their blood pressure down through their own efforts, by changing their lifestyle, losing weight and taking exercise, thus making drug treatment unnecessary.
