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High blood pressure causes serious wear and tear on your heart, brain, and kidneys, so it’s critical that you take it seriously. Although a brief rise in blood pressure isn’t likely to cause permanent harm, your body isn’t designed to handle continuously high pressure. Just think of a garden hose gushing at full blast and imagine what that might do to your tender blood vessels.

The human body is built to be resilient, but over time, the nonstop strain of high blood pressure can cause the following:

 Abnormal thickening and stiffness of the heart muscle, which can lead to heart failure

 Microscopic tears, stiffening, and scarring in the arteries of the heart and brain, raising the risk for heart attack, stroke, and dementia

 Irregularity of the heart rhythm, which may also raise the risk for stroke

 Damage to the blood vessels that feed the kidneys, leading to kidney failure and, in severe cases, dialysis

 Weaknesses in the walls of the blood vessels of the eyes, causing blurry vision or even blindness

Some of these problems can be stabilized or even reversed if they’re caught early. But why put yourself in harm’s way? Don’t ignore your high blood pressure. Follow the treatments prescribed by your doctor. High blood pressure can almost always be treated safely and effectively. Even better, it can often be prevented.