What is a major complication of untreated hypertension?

Untreated hypertension often leads to a variety of serious health complications, with heart failure being one of the most significant outcomes. Chronic high blood pressure increases the workload on the heart as it has to pump against greater resistance within the blood vessels. Over time, this excessive strain can cause the heart muscle to thicken (a condition known as left ventricular hypertrophy), which may impair the heart's ability to relax and fill properly. Eventually, these changes can progress to heart failure, where the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and fluid retention.

In contrast to heart failure, options such as increased exercise capacity, reduced cardiac workload, and enhanced cardiac compliance would not typically be associated with untreated hypertension. In fact, those conditions are indicative of improved cardiovascular health, which is not a result of prolonged untreated high blood pressure. Thus, the progression to heart failure stands out as a critical complication of inadequate management of hypertension.