Overview
Heart attack, also known as Myocardial Infarction (MI), is a condition where a reduction in blood flow to the heart causes irreversible damage of the heart tissues. One of the main culprits in MI is hypertension. Hypertension occurs when the blood pressure exceeds 140/90 mmHg and it can be classified as essential hypertension and secondary hypertension. The latter is due to pre-existing diseases such as polycystic kidney disease. Hypertension damages the integrity of the blood vessel walls with the additional build-up of atherosclerotic plaques reduces delivery of oxygen to the heart, causing a heart attack. Hypertension also exerts stress on the heart's pumping system which in turn will complicate heart conditions such as cardiomyopathy including heart failure.
