Coronary Heart Disease from High Blood Pressure
Coronary heart disease can be caused by high blood pressure. If medical practitioners fail to control a patient's high blood pressure adequately, resulting in established coronary heart disease, there may be a case of medical negligence.
For more information on making a medical compensation claim for coronary heart disease, please get in touch with our team today. We will be more than happy to advise you.
Coronary heart disease
Coronary heart disease is also called ischaemic heart disease. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is when the coronary arteries inside the heart become blocked due to a build-up of fatty substances. This hinders the flow of blood to the heart, making it deficient in oxygen.
CHD is a common condition affecting around 2.3 million people in the UK. It is also a deadly condition, causing approximately 73,000 deaths in the UK every year. Most notably CHD can lead to heart attack and heart failure.
There are various ways in which the arteries can become furred with fatty substances. Factors that increase risk include high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, obesity, family history of CHD and lack of exercise.
High blood pressure – hypertension
Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. Blood pressure readings gauge how strongly blood presses against the arteries as it is pumped around the body. If it is too high, the arteries and the heart will be put under strain, eventually leading to complications such as a heart attack, stroke or kidney disease.
It is not always known what causes hypertension, although age, weight and an unhealthy lifestyle are all risk factors. High blood pressure does not always produce any symptoms, so it is important to have regular checks at the GP. Once high blood pressure is diagnosed it can be effectively managed with lifestyle changes and medication.
It is important that high blood pressure is properly managed because, as mentioned above, it can result in potentially fatal conditions such as coronary heart failure.
Failure to prevent coronary heart disease
If a patient has consistently high blood pressure readings, treatment should be provided to prevent the onset of coronary heart disease. This is called 'primary prevention' and applies to persons who are not already proven to have CHD, but who have risk factors that significantly increase their chance of developing the disease.
Primary prevention will be needed in patients who have three high blood pressure readings. A high reading would be defined as exceeding 160 (systolic) or 100 (diastolic).
If there is a failure to offer treatment and a patient goes on to suffer serious complications as a result of coronary heart disease, there may be grounds for a compensation claim. Contact us for more information.
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