High blood pressure, or hypertension, is known as the silent killer because it can be damaging your body for years before any symptoms appear. By the time you realize you have high blood pressure, you may have already caused serious damage to your arteries, heart, brain and kidneys.

Even if you don’t have any damage at the time of diagnosis, if you don’t bring it under control, you sharply increase your risks of dying early.  The first thing to be damaged is your arteries. With the increased pressure on the arterial walls, the inner lining of the arteries can become stiff and thickened.

This is known as arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Arteriosclerosis usually leads to atherosclerosis, an even more serious condition where fats collect on these damaged cells, leading to blockages that can cause strokes and other … Read More