High blood pressure which is often referred to as hypertension can be a life threatening disease if it goes untreated. This is a medical condition that occurs when the blood pressure goes above the average rates of 120/80 on several occasions. There are times when your blood pressure may rise due to stress, being ill or other similar causes but will return to normal when the situation changes and may not be classified as high blood pressure if it’s not consistent or frequent. If you do have high blood pressure you may require the help of a medication and lifestyle changes to help keep it under control.

There are various factors that can cause you to have high blood pressure including being overweight or obese, poor diet, lack of exercise, history of high blood pressure running in your family, high levels of salt intake and several other factors.

Here are 5 that are significant and can mean that your high blood pressure is out of control and needs to be addressed immediately.

Hypertension

There is a chance that you have had hypertension for quite some time and damaging your body without any real signs or symptoms. However, at any point that you suspect that you may have high blood pressure you need to contact your physician as soon as possible.

Headache

Headache is one of the biggest signs or symptoms that your blood pressure levels may be up. This can be a standalone symptom or can be coupled with others. The headache may be in any area of your head but more often than not it will be behind your eyes and can cause blurriness or dizziness.

Dizziness

Dizziness is another common symptom for those that suffer from high blood pressure. It can occur when standing up or walking or just come on all of a sudden. It may be accompanied with or without a headache and blurriness.

Vomiting

Vomiting or nausea is two more signs of high blood pressure. It’s possible to suffer from both of them or one at a time but should not be ignored. They can last for short periods of time or for several hours depending on how high your blood pressure might be at the time.

Panic Attacks

High blood pressure can also cause panic attacks or shortness of breath which may mimic a heart attack. Since having high blood pressure that is not controlled can lead to an aneurism, a stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure or even death you should contact your physician if you are suffering from one or more of these symptoms. It doesn’t matter whether or not you have already been diagnosed with high blood pressure many of these symptoms together are more than just a common headache or cold so it’s better to be safe than sorry. This is just a few of the many symptoms that may occur when you are suffering from high blood pressure so make sure ask your doctor about the complete list so you know what to watch out for.

Author: Dr Mellisa White is a consultant physician at Doctor Spring who occasionally contributes resourceful articles to help other understand various medical conditions.