Why High Blood Pressure Is Dangerous

How your doctors in Saint Thomas and St. Croix, Virgin Islands can help with high blood pressure

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is when the amount of blood being pumped is abnormally high. High blood pressure is called the silent killer because you may not experience any signs or symptoms until damage has been done to your heart and other organs.

Dr. Jeffrey Chase and Dr. Ahmet Sayan at Virgin Islands Orthopaedics & Medical Specialists can help with high blood pressure. They have two convenient office locations in Saint Thomas and St. Croix to help you stay healthy.

What Does Having High Blood Pressure Mean?

If your blood pressure reading is high, that indicates your blood isn’t passing smoothly through your arteries. It’s encountering resistance, often in the form of fatty, plaque deposits on your artery walls. These fat deposits partially block your arteries, narrowing the passage the blood travels through.

Dangerous Consequences of High Blood Pressure

According to the Mayo Clinic, untreated high blood pressure can cause damage to:

  • Your arteries, including narrowing or an aneurysm
  • Your heart, resulting in coronary artery disease (CAD), heart enlargement, or heart failure
  • Your brain, increasing chances of a transient ischemic attack (TIA), stroke, or dementia
  • Your kidneys, including scarring or kidney failure
  • Your eyes, creating retinopathy or nerve damage

You are at higher risk of high blood pressure if you:

  • Are overweight or have a sedentary lifestyle
  • Have a family history of high blood pressure
  • Are using tobacco products or drinking alcohol excessively
  • Follow a diet that is high in salt or low in potassium
  • Have sleep apnea, diabetes, or kidney disease

Treatment at Your Saint Thomas and St. Croix, Virgin Islands Orthopaedics & Medical Specialists Office

The good news is your Saint Thomas and St. Croix doctor can help. Medications are very effective for getting blood pressure under control. They may recommend a combination of diuretics, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, and/or calcium channel blockers.

Diet and lifestyle modification is a vital part of controlling blood pressure. Dr. Jeffrey Chase or Dr. Ahmet Sayan may recommend losing weight, restricting salt in your diet, limiting alcohol, quitting smoking, controlling stress, and being more active to help with blood pressure management.

High blood pressure is dangerous for your health, so make an appointment with your doctor today to determine if your blood pressure is under control. For more information on treating high blood pressure and other medical topics, call Dr. Jeffrey Chase and Dr. Ahmet Sayan of Virgin Islands Orthopaedics & Medical Specialists in Saint Thomas at (340) 714-2845, or their office in St. Croix at (340) 692-5000. Call now!

St Thomas

340-714-2845

St Croix

340-692-5000

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Office Hours

Saint Thomas

Monday:

7:00 am-5:00 pm

Tuesday:

7:00 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday:

7:00 am-5:00 pm

Thursday:

7:00 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

7:00 am-4:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed

St. Croix

Monday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Tuesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Wednesday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Thursday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Friday:

8:00 am-5:00 pm

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed