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Complications

By Mayo Clinic staff

Secondary hypertension can worsen the underlying medical condition you have that's causing your high blood pressure. If you don't receive treatment, secondary hypertension can also be associated with other medical conditions, such as:

  • Damage to your arteries. This can result in hardening and thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which can lead to a heart attack, stroke or other complications.
  • Aneurysm. Increased blood pressure can cause your blood vessels to weaken and bulge, forming an aneurysm. If an aneurysm ruptures, it can be life-threatening.
  • Heart failure. To pump blood against the higher pressure in your vessels, your heart muscle thickens. Eventually, the thickened muscle may have a hard time pumping enough blood to meet your body's needs, which can lead to heart failure.
  • Weakened and narrowed blood vessels in your kidneys. This can prevent these organs from functioning normally.
  • Thickened, narrowed or torn blood vessels in the eyes. This can result in vision loss.
  • Metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is a cluster of disorders of your body's metabolism — including increased waist circumference, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the "good," cholesterol), high blood pressure, and high insulin levels. If you have high blood pressure, you're more likely to have other components of metabolic syndrome. The more components you have, the greater your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease or stroke.
  • Trouble with memory or understanding. Uncontrolled high blood pressure also may affect your ability to think, remember and learn. Trouble with memory or understanding concepts is more common in people who have high blood pressure.
Preparing for your appointment Risk factors
References
  1. McKean SC, et al. Principles and Practice of Hospital Medicine. New York, N.Y: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=749. Accessed Jan. 25, 2013.
  2. Sukor N. Secondary hypertension: A condition not to be missed. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 2011;87:706.
  3. Kaplan NM, et al. Overview of hypertension in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed Jan. 25, 2013.
  4. Fuster V, ed. et al. Hurst's The Heart. 13th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2011. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=5. Accessed Jan. 25, 2013.
  5. Lerma EV, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Nephrology & Hypertension. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=628. Accessed Jan. 25, 2013.
  6. Viera AJ, et al. Diagnosis of secondary hypertension: An age-based approach. American Family Physician. 2010;82:1471.
  7. Grossman E, et al. Drug-induced hypertension: An unappreciated cause of secondary hypertension. The American Journal of Medicine. 2012;125:14.
  8. Sheps SG (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 20, 2013.
  9. The seventh report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Bethesda, Md.: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/hypertension/jnc7full.htm. Accessed Jan. 20, 2013.
  10. Your guide to lowering your blood pressure with DASH. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf. Accessed Jan. 20, 2013.
  11. Riccioni G. Aliskiren in the treatment of hypertension and organ damage. Cardiovascular Therapeutics. 2011;29:77.
  12. FDA drug safety communication: New warning and contraindication for blood pressure medicines containing aliskiren (Tekturna). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm300889.htm. Accessed Jan. 22, 2013.
  13. Aliskiren. Micromedex Healthcare Series. http://www.micromedex.com. Accessed Jan. 22, 2013.
  14. Grapefruit. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Jan. 22, 2013.
DS01114 March 15, 2013

© 1998-2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved. A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.com," "EmbodyHealth," "Enhance your life," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

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