High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure and raised blood cholesterol levels are closely linked and have serious implications for your heart. You will find that once you have been diagnosed as suffering from high blood pressure or hypertension then not only will your doctor be monitoring your blood pressure levels regularly, but s/he will start measuring your blood cholesterol levels regularly too.

This is because high blood pressure is a risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease [heart attacks, strokes]. Raised levels of cholesterol are also a risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. So if you have both high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels then that’s a double whammy. Your chances of developing heart disease are that much stronger.

Let’s start by understanding the impact of high blood pressure on your body. Having high blood pressure means your heart is working much harder to push the blood through the arteries around your body. Your heart has to beat more forcefully and faster, thus your heart is under a strain.

How do raised cholesterol levels affect the body? Cholesterol is like little packets of fat. High levels of cholesterol in the blood means these packets of fat get deposited in the artery walls which then begin to harden and narrow making it difficult for blood to flow through easily. This hardening and narrowing of the arteries is clinically referred to as atherosclerosis. The heart has to once again work harder to push the blood through the arteries and around the body.

Hardened and narrowed arteries become less elastic and it becomes difficult for blood to flow through freely. The fatty deposits or plaques in the artery walls can rupture and create a blood clot which can block blood flow and restrict or completely stop blood supply to a particular limb, organ or tissue. Blood clots can give rise to strokes and heart attacks depending on where they create a blockage.

It is therefore important to know and monitor your cholesterol levels generally anyway for the good of your heart. However, should you also suffer from high blood pressure then its essential that both your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are monitored. High blood pressure and raised cholesterol levels are two of the most significant factors in assessing your risk of developing heart disease, and it’s vital that you maintain healthy blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Do note that not all cholesterol is bad. There is the good HDL [high density lipoprotein] cholesterol which is in fact very useful in lowering overall blood cholesterol level and protecting against atherosclerosis. Then there is the bad LDL [low density lipoprotein] cholesterol which actually increases the risk of atherosclerosis. So it is the proportion of these two types of cholesterol that are relevant. You need enough of the good HDL cholesterol to counter and help shift the bad LDL cholesterol to the liver for breaking down.

Both high blood pressure and high cholesterol put extra strain on your heart and put you at a high risk of developing heart disease. Regular monitoring of these two factors is essential so that you can begin to take steps to keep them at a healthy level. In the past, we have talked about a different ways to lower blood pressure. In a future article we will explore different ways to lower cholesterol.