9) Chest pain
Up to this point we can mention that high blood pressure is the result of arteries that have become hardened, causing them to remain relatively narrow. Then, this lack of space for the bloodstream to flow may severely affect the oxygen supply to the heart, causing a disease called angina pectoris. As a matter of cultural topic, the medical term comes from Latin, so the literal meaning is “the choking of the chest.”
The damaged lining of the arteries starts depositing fat on their walls, so when the blood flow is interrupted, the heart works harder and faster to supply the body with Oxygen-rich blood. This continuous labor causes the heart to increase its muscle mass, but in the same reduced space. Now mix the factors: compromised blood supply to the coronary arteries, reduced oxygen exchange, and heart muscle working harder. First comes the chest pain, and it might be a sign of myocardial infarction or heart attack. All these events are a consequence, not a cause of high blood pressure.
