Symptoms of Hypertension

by Michael Jubinville, MPH

People don’t know they have hypertension. This is because it doesn’t cause symptoms. But it still needs to be found and treated. If not, it will cause harm to your body and raise the risk of serious problems such as a heart attack or stroke.

Hypertensive Emergency

A hypertensive emergency is a reading of 180/120 mmHg or higher. It can happen quickly. If you get this reading once, take a short rest. If it’s still high, call for emergency medical services right away.

You may also have:

Headache
Nosebleed
Vision problems
Belly pain
Chest pain
Breathing problems
Racing heart
Lightheadedness or fainting

References:

High blood pressure. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/high-blood-pressure. Accessed September 15, 2020.

Hypertension. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T115345/Hypertension. Accessed September 15, 2020.

Hypertensive crisis. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T114059/Hypertensive-crisis. Accessed September 15, 2020.

Last reviewed September 2020 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Michael J. Fucci, DO, FACC
Last Updated: 11/20/2020