What are the risks associated with having high blood pressure?

People with high blood pressure who also have high blood sugar levels or elevated blood cholesterol, face even higher risk of heart attacks and stroke. Therefore it is important that regular checks for blood sugar, blood cholesterol. High blood pressure (hypertension) can quietly damage your body for years before symptoms develop, causing damage to your arteries, heart, brain, kidneys, eyes, even sexual function.    Suffering from high blood pressure is not an automatic death sentence.