Source: ibtimes.com
KEY POINTS
- High blood pressure can lead to a lot of symptoms
- One of its results is the inability of the blood to reach various areas of the body like the ankles
- As a result, you may experience your ankle swelling due to high blood pressure
High blood pressure is one of the conditions that could literally affect your daily routines. The symptoms of high blood pressure can be debilitating; you might end up staying at home all day. Some patients immediately notice the various symptoms, which is why they’re also able to find the proper treatment right away.
However, there are instances when you might already be experiencing the symptoms, and yet you are not even aware that it signals high blood pressure. One of these symptoms is swelling of your ankles.
How It Affects the Ankles
According to an explanation in Express, your ankles could warn you of high blood pressure. This condition makes the heart work harder every single day. Over the course of time, the heart could no longer pump enough blood to reach the different parts of the body. The heart muscle has now thickened and has become less effective at pumping the blood all over the body.
Because of this, fluids would start to build up in different areas of the body. The lower legs would start to suffer from it, the same with the ankles. These parts would start to swell up. The failure of the heart to pump blood more effectively is a long-term result.
There are cases when the swelling could be caused by taking in blood pressure medicines like the calcium channel blockers. These medicines make your blood vessels open wider so as to allow a better flow of blood and decrease the pressure. However, there are patients that would experience having more fluid to leak out of the blood vessels and into the tissues.
The fluid would start collecting around your ankles, causing them to swell. Aside from high blood pressure, swelling of the ankles could also be a result of kidney failure, heart disease, and also liver disease.
Should You Worry?
During the early stages, having swollen ankles can cause some discomfort, but the problem can’t be touted as a serious one. However, if the condition is not treated and is left as it is overtime, you might face serious health issues. This would start to put unwanted pressure on the tissues and the blood vessels. Some of the problems caused by swollen ankles include varicose veins, cellulitis, and venous ulcers.