Can high blood pressure cause heart disease?

Apr 16, 2023 Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Tian Hongbo
Introduction
Hypertension generally causes heart disease. It usually increases the cardiac workload, leading to hypertensive heart disease. It may also cause ventricular chamber enlargement, resulting in valvular insufficiency that induces heart disease. Additionally, it can affect the heart's electrophysiological function, causing arrhythmias that lead to heart disease. It may also promote atherosclerosis, triggering coronary atherosclerotic heart disease.

High blood pressure generally leads to heart disease, as it may cause myocardial cell degeneration, lead to blood regurgitation, and induce changes in myocardial tissue, among other effects. The specific reasons are as follows:

1. Causing myocardial cell degeneration

High blood pressure usually increases the workload on the heart. Over time, this may lead to myocardial tissue proliferation and hypertrophy, resulting in myocardial cell degeneration and ultimately causing hypertensive heart disease.

2. Causing blood regurgitation

Meanwhile, long-term high blood pressure may also cause enlargement of the ventricular chamber, leading to incomplete closure of heart valves (valvular insufficiency), which causes blood regurgitation and impairs normal cardiac function, thereby triggering heart disease.

3. Inducing changes in myocardial tissue

Additionally, persistent high blood pressure may alter myocardial tissue structure, affecting the heart's electrophysiological functions, subsequently causing arrhythmias and contributing to heart disease.

Moreover, high blood pressure often promotes atherosclerosis. Over time, this may result in blockage or narrowing of the coronary arteries, leading to coronary atherosclerotic heart disease. Strictly following medical advice to take antihypertensive medications such as nifedipine sustained-release tablets, captopril tablets, and nimodipine tablets, combined with lifestyle modifications to maintain blood pressure within the normal range, can significantly reduce the risk of developing heart disease.


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