High blood pressure also can affect your ability to think, remember and learn. Left untreated, it can lead to kidney failure or vision loss. High blood pressure can cause significant damage to your eyes, kidneys, brain and blood vessels. High blood pressure is harmful because it makes the heart work harder and less efficiently. High blood pressure occurs when your blood pressure, the force of your blood against the walls of your blood vessels, is consistently too high. What is blood pressure?īlood pressure is a measure of how hard your blood pushes against your arteries as it moves through your body. Here is information about one of the most dangerous and sneakiest health conditions: blood pressure. Knowing your risk is critical to preventing heart disease and for taking steps to improve your overall heart health. Knowing and understanding key heart numbers - blood pressure, cholesterol and heart rate, along with your family history - allow you and your health care team to determine your risk for developing heart and cardiovascular disease.
