Hypertension Symptoms

Symptoms of hypertension are important to recognize and understand, but there is a key point in understanding hypertension that is even more crucial: hypertension may not cause any symptoms at all, until damage has already been done to the brain, kidneys and heart.

This lack of symptoms is what makes hypertension known as “the silent killer”. So, understanding the critical importance of this fact, let’s look at some of the symptoms of hypertension that can occur, particularly when blood pressure is greatly above normal.

With systemic hypertension (when the blood pressure is elevated in all vessels of the body), a wide variety of hypertension symptoms may be present:

• Severe headaches
• Fatigue
• Blood in the urine
• Visual changes
• Fatigue
• Nosebleeds
• Irregular heart beat
• Confusion
• Nausea and vomiting
• Pounding sensation in the ears, chest, neck
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Chest pain

Hypertension symptoms with pulmonary hypertension (when the pressure is elevated only in the vessels of the lungs) can be somewhat different:

• Fatigue and tiredness in early stages
• Difficulty breathing
• Fainting
• Dizziness
• Ankle edema (swelling)
• Chest pain
• Bluish coloring (cyanosis) on the lips or beds of the fingernails, due to poor oxygenation

Some hypertension symptoms are caused directly from the elevated pressure within the blood vessels. Nosebleeds are a good example of this. Increased pressure can burst the more fragile veins within the nose, causing acute and very profusive bleeding, which is often difficult to control.

Because there is often a long period of time between when a person begins to have hypertension, and when it is either diagnosed during a routine exam or discovered when late symptoms are exhibited, many of the symptoms of hypertension are due to damage to various organs in the body.

For example, healthy kidneys filter wastes out of the blood and help maintain various electrolyte balances within the body. Late symptoms of hypertension can be indicated by poor renal function when your physician does laboratory tests on your urine and blood. 

Chronic undiagnosed blood pressure can cause the heart to overwork, and eventually reduce the efficiency of its pumping power. When this happens, you may experience the symptoms of fatigue and swelling in the lower extremities.

During your yearly eye exam, your optometrist may notice some swelling in your optic nerve, changes in your retina, or flame-like hemorrhages in your eyes. All of these are symptoms of hypertension and require immediate evaluation by your physician.

Again, it is crucial to note that you may experience absolutely no symptoms of hypertension until the damage has already been done, in some measure, to your heart, brain and kidneys. Check your blood pressure every month or so, and report any elevations to your primary physician. 

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