If left untreated, a blood pressure of 180/120 or higher results in an 80% chance of death within one year, with an average survival rate of ten months. Any blood pressure reading in this category is considered serious, and should be evaluated by a health care provider.
People with high blood pressure typically die younger than people without the condition. But they can significantly lower — or even eliminate — that difference by controlling several key health risk factors, according to a study published in the June 2025 issue of Precision Clinical Medicine.
High blood pressure can narrow and damage the arteries that supply blood to the heart. This damage is known as coronary artery disease. Too little blood flow to the heart can lead to chest pain, called angina. It can lead to irregular heart rhythms, called arrhythmias.
In other words, once blood pressure rises above normal, subtle but harmful brain changes can occur rather quickly—perhaps within a year or two. And those changes may be hard to reverse, even if blood pressure is nudged back into the normal range with treatment.
Yes, high blood pressure can sometimes cause fatigue or dizziness, especially if it's very high or fluctuating. These symptoms can also be related to medications or other health conditions, so it's important to discuss them with your health care provider.
If your blood pressure is extremely high, you may have symptoms like:
Stroke-Level Blood Pressure (180/120 or Above) Is a Medical Emergency. A hypertensive crisis occurs if blood pressure reaches 180/120 mm Hg. It is a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate medical attention. If you or someone with you develops blood pressure at or above that level, you should call 911.
Blood pressure goes up and down throughout the day. But if it stays up, it's called high blood pressure. When blood pressure is high, over time it can harm organs throughout the body, including the brain, eyes, heart, and kidneys.
It can happen quickly or take years to develop. Heart failure is caused by many factors, including the thickening and/or stiffening of the heart's walls and blood vessels that have become narrow from uncontrolled high blood pressure.
6 Silent Symptoms of High Blood Pressure
Raised systolic blood pressure (BP) is a powerful independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality and death from all causes. 1 It is also a major cause of clinical and pre-clinical damage to the heart, brain, retina, kidneys, and arterial blood vessels.
As the arteries become narrower and less flexible, the heart has to work harder to move blood through the body. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure and other heart conditions; cause damage to your kidneys, memory and vision; and contribute to erectile dysfunction.
The percentage of people in the United States with high blood pressure creeps up with each decade of life. Among women ages 20 to 34, 13% have hypertension; nearly 86% have the condition by their mid-70s. Men see a similar trajectory over that same time, increasing from about 26% to 80%.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Severely high blood pressure, known as a hypertensive emergency, can be life-threatening. Low blood pressure (hypotension) can cause dizziness, fainting and fall-related injuries.
High blood pressure doesn't need to have a negative impact on your life. There's often no need to tell your employer, you can still travel and have a social life, and making positive changes such as getting active can make you feel good too. Some people even find their diagnosis changes their lives for the better.
Symptoms
Severe Hypertension
If your readings are still high, call your health care professional. If your blood pressure is higher than 180 and/or 120 mm Hg and you have any of these symptoms, call 911: chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness, weakness, change in vision or difficulty speaking.
It can severely limit the activities you're able to do and is often eventually fatal. But it's very difficult to tell how the condition will progress on an individual basis. It's very unpredictable. Lots of people remain stable for many years, while in some cases it may get worse quickly.
The classic manifestations of hypertensive end organ damage include the following: vascular and hemorrhagic stroke, retinopathy, coronary heart disease/myocardial infarction and heart failure, proteinuria and renal failure and in the vasculature, atherosclerotic change including the development of stenoses and ...
On the other hand, the life expectancy of someone with controlled high blood pressure can often be well into retirement age. With that being said, research³ does show that although you can live a long life, it may be five to seven years shorter than those without high blood pressure.
Symptoms
The warning signs of stroke include:
A silent stroke can occur when the blood supply to the brain is suddenly cut off, damaging brain cells in the process. There may be no warning signs or noticeable symptoms leading up to this, and many people do not realize they experienced a silent stroke until they undergo a brain scan.
High blood pressure is the biggest single risk factor for stroke. It plays a part in about half of all strokes. But while high blood pressure is a serious condition, there are things you can do to reduce your risk of a stroke.