How High Blood Pressure Can Lead to Heart Failure

Is there a link between HBP and heart failure?

Heart failure, a condition in which your heart is unable to provide enough blood to the body, can happen quickly or take years to develop. The thickening and/or stiffening of the heart’s walls, as well as narrowing and constriction of blood vessels caused by high blood pressure, are the most common non-cardiac causes of heart failure.

  • High blood pressure adds to your heart’s workload: Narrowed arteries that are less elastic make it more difficult for blood to travel efficiently throughout your body. This causes your heart to work harder.
     
  • Over time, a higher workload leads to an enlarged heart: To cope with increased demands, the heart thickens and becomes larger. While it's still able to pump blood, it becomes less efficient. The larger the heart becomes, the harder it works to meet your body's demands for oxygen and nutrients.

Watch an interactive animation of heart failure.

heart failure

Don’t let high blood pressure lead to heart failure:


Support That Lifts You Up

Recovery from a heart condition becomes so much more manageable when you have the right kind of emotional support. We’re an online community of patients, survivors and caregivers who know what you’re going through and can help you find your footing on the path to better health.

human ladder to climb a wall