Symptoms:

Most of the time, there are no symptoms. Symptoms that may occur include:

• Chest pain
• Confusion
• Ear noise or buzzing
• Irregular heartbeat
• Nosebleed
• Tiredness
• Vision changes

If you have a severe headache or any of the symptoms above, see your doctor right away. These may be signs of a complication or dangerously high blood pressure called malignant hypertension.

Signs and tests:

Your health care provider will perform a physical exam and check your blood pressure. If the measurement is high, your doctor may think you have high blood pressure. The measurements need to be repeated over time, so that the diagnosis can be confirmed.

If you monitor your blood pressure at home, you may be asked the following questions:

• What was your most recent blood pressure reading?
• What was the previous blood pressure reading?
• What is the average systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) reading?
• Has your blood pressure increased recently?

Other tests may be done to look for blood in the urine or heart failure. Your doctor will look for signs of complications to your heart, kidneys, eyes, and other organs in your body.

These tests may include:

• Chem-20
• Echocardiogram
• Urinalysis
• Ultrasound of the kidneys