Complications of hypertension | Circulatory System and Disease | NCLEX-RN | Khan Academy
Aug 24, 2023
Complications of hypertension | Circulatory System and Disease | NCLEX-RN | Khan Academy
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Content
3.093 -> - [Voiceover] So, once
you have hypertension
4.358 -> or high blood pressure,
there are a lot of potential
7.098 -> complications that can start
to crop up as a result,
10.059 -> many of which you might
not necessarily think of
12.554 -> or associate with
hypertension, but they can
14.912 -> and definitely do happen.
16.722 -> And we can sort of split
these complications up
19.381 -> into three categories, the first of which
21.737 -> is those that involve
the head and the brain.
24.559 -> Specifically, a major complication
26.498 -> is hypertensive retinopathy.
29.213 -> What is that?
30.236 -> Well, the first part of
retinopathy means retina, and then
33.474 -> "pathy" is disease, so this
is a disease of the retina.
37.201 -> And your retina is this
critical component of your eyes.
40.788 -> You wouldn't be able to
see the world as you do
42.391 -> without it.
43.527 -> It's the innermost layer of
your eye, and it takes in light
46.477 -> and then helps transmit
that light as an image
49.032 -> to your brain.
50.309 -> It's sort of like if your eye was a camera
52.015 -> and then your retina would be the film.
54.569 -> And depending on which part
of the retina the light hits,
57.31 -> it'll send that information
to your brain through these
59.712 -> nerve fibers for
development into an image.
63.079 -> Now, this piece of film,
like anywhere in the body,
65.993 -> needs oxygen, right?
67.618 -> And where does it get that oxygen from?
69.778 -> Well, your blood vessels.
71.217 -> But if those blood vessels are damaged
73.016 -> due to hypertension, you can
start having vision problems.
76.709 -> And eye doctors or
ophthalmologists can take pictures
80.853 -> of your eyes and actually see the damage
82.908 -> to the tiny arteries in your
eyes due to hypertension.
86.391 -> This is a pretty typical
image of your retina.
89.792 -> And if hypertensive
retinopathy is present,
92.834 -> you'll often be able to
see this leakage of blood
95.62 -> in these pictures due to
weakened blood vessels.
100.171 -> Now, the other major
complication that can come about
102.563 -> from hypertension that might
be a little more familiar
105.175 -> is stroke.
106.823 -> And since your brain is an
organ, arguably one of the most
109.645 -> important organs you have, it
obviously needs a very solid
113.464 -> and dependable supply of
blood at all times, right?
117.017 -> Well, if the arteries
that supply a certain part
119.082 -> of your brain with oxygen get clogged,
121.335 -> or if they burst even from being too weak,
123.878 -> your brain might not receive enough blood.
126.234 -> And within minutes, those
oxygen-starved brain cells
129.624 -> can start to die off, and
whatever function that part
132.62 -> of the brain has might be lost.
136.682 -> All right.
137.38 -> So, the next major category
is complications to the heart.
140.862 -> Specifically, hypertension can
be a major, major contributor
144.136 -> to heart failure, where the
heart doesn't pump as well
146.76 -> as it once did.
148.153 -> And what can happen with
heart failure is that you get
150.498 -> left ventricular hypertrophy,
which is muscle growth
154.236 -> of your left ventricle.
156.001 -> Since there's more resistance
in your blood vessels,
158.416 -> your heart now has to work
harder to pump blood, right,
161.399 -> especially the left ventricle,
since it sends blood
163.941 -> to your body and your organs.
165.88 -> Similarly to how your biceps
bulk up from lifting weights,
169.2 -> your left ventricle gets
bigger from pumping harder.
172.695 -> Unfortunately, though,
hypertrophy of the left ventricle
175.553 -> isn't a healthy adaptation
to an increased workload.
178.674 -> And this change in shape
of the left ventricle
181.136 -> actually causes a decrease
in pumping ability,
183.794 -> and that's when the heart begins to fail.
186.981 -> Now, another major effect to the heart
188.88 -> is coronary artery disease.
191.026 -> In the same way that
other organs need blood
192.686 -> to survive, your heart needs
its own supply of blood
195.206 -> to survive, too.
196.483 -> So, the coronary arteries
supply the myocardium
199.259 -> or the heart muscle with blood.
201.382 -> And these can become narrowed or weakened
202.926 -> from hypertension and form these clots
204.923 -> that sort of block off the blood supply
206.862 -> to the heart's muscles.
208.441 -> And without a blood supply,
those cells can start
210.74 -> to die off, which can cause what's known
212.702 -> as a heart attack, also known
as a myocardial infarction.
219.298 -> Now, the final category is
peripheral artery disease,
222.21 -> which we sometimes abbreviate PAD,
224.613 -> and this is an atherosclerosis
or a buildup of plaque
228.014 -> in the body outside the
vessels of the heart,
230.928 -> the head, and the brain,
232.473 -> kind of a catchall category
for things not in the last two,
235.932 -> which is why we call
them peripheral arteries.
239.426 -> Now, some of the most
commonly affected areas
241.992 -> are the blood vessels that
carry oxygen to your legs,
244.43 -> your arms, your stomach, or your kidneys.
247.715 -> Decreased oxygen supply
due to weakened or blocked
250.734 -> arteries from hypertension
to really any part
253.369 -> of the peripheral organs
or tissues can cause things
256.492 -> like ulcers, gangrene, and loss of tissue
259.777 -> in the affected area.
262.136 -> The kidney specifically, though,
deserves special attention
265.014 -> because they tend to be a
very common organ that can
267.231 -> be damaged by hypertension.
269.796 -> If plaque builds up or
the arteries weaken,
272.257 -> and you get a reduced
blood flow to the kidneys,
274.65 -> then they can become
damaged and their functIon
276.776 -> can be reduced, just like any other organ.
279.328 -> But what's their function?
280.779 -> Well, the kidneys help
you regulate fluid volume
282.578 -> in your body, right,
284.112 -> like at any time they decide
if you need more or less blood.
287.837 -> So, if their arteries get
blocked, they'll see this reduced
290.868 -> blood flow and be like,
"Hey, we must be dehydrated
293.793 -> "or something because
there's way less fluid."
296.286 -> And then, they'll release
some hormones that cause
298.505 -> the body to hold on to more
fluid, which has the effect
301.545 -> of increasing your flow,
and therefore increasing
304.46 -> your blood pressure.
306.109 -> Also, with less oxygen
reaching the kidney cells,
309.521 -> just like any other organs
and tissues, they can be
311.959 -> injured and even start to
die off, which makes it even
315.465 -> harder for them to do their
job of balancing fluids.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMG6a6c6Jd4
