What can be a consequence of untreated hypertension?

Untreated hypertension can lead to a range of serious health complications, one of the most significant being heart failure. High blood pressure forces the heart to work harder than normal, causing the heart muscle to thicken and stiffen over time. This increased workload can eventually lead to heart failure, where the heart becomes less effective at pumping blood to meet the body's needs.

Heart failure can manifest in several ways, including fatigue, fluid retention, shortness of breath, and reduced exercise capacity. Over time, as hypertension remains unaddressed, the cumulative effects on the cardiovascular system can result in significant damage, leading to the heart's inability to function properly, which is a dire consequence of prolonged high blood pressure.

While other options like kidney stones, chronic headaches, and visual disturbances can be associated with hypertension, they are typically less direct or less serious than heart failure. Each of these conditions may arise as secondary effects or complications, but heart failure represents a more critical risk resulting from prolonged and untreated high blood pressure.