How Does High Blood Pressure Affect the Digestive System?
- According to the American Heart Association, over 73 million people in the United States have high blood pressure. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a common disorder that occurs when the heart has difficulties pumping blood through the arteries and veins due to blockages or damage to the circulatory system. High blood pressure can cause a variety of medical problems from heart disease to stroke. It can also affect all systems of the body, including the digestive system.
- Your kidneys are responsible for filtering the waste that passes through your body. When they do not work properly, toxins build up inside the circulating blood in your body. This can cause many different problems. High blood pressure takes a serious toll on your kidneys by narrowing and thickening the blood vessels. This causes less fluid to pass through the kidneys, and in turn, also makes the kidneys work harder than they are designed to do. This can ultimately cause complete kidney failure.
- When you eat, your body naturally shuts off some of the blood supply to other areas of the body, and increases the blood supply to your stomach and intestines, so they are able to perform their jobs. However, with those suffering from high blood pressure, everything from the arteries to the capillaries can become damaged. This allows less blood than is needed to make it to the stomach and intestines. Without this added blood, the digestive system is not able to perform at a normal level. This can lead to all sorts of digestion problems.
- Not only can high blood pressure affect your digestive system, but the drugs that you may be put on to control high blood pressure can also cause several digestive problems. The most common of these problems is heart burn. Calcium channel blockers and beta-blockers are both common medications used to help control blood pressure. Unfortunately, these drugs cause many digestive side effects including heart burn, constipation and nausea.