hypertension and the heart

[diddlstjs]

why does the heart have to pump harder when an individual has a hypertension?
please describe the process the heart goes through

[curmudgen]

Another explanation... garden hose, turn on spigot, water comes out at a given volume/minute....  constrict the garden hose  and less water comes out and in order to get more water you have to increase the pressure.  However that makes the pump work harder against the resistance and you get a bigger pump, or in the case of the heart it will enlarge only so far then the pump can fail.  Does that make sense?

[is_something_wrong]

A complex question, but the for blood to be pumped, pressure inside the heart (left chamber) needs to be higher than in the vessels outside. If arteries are narrowed or stiff, pressure outside will be higher and the heart must work harder. The heart is a muscle, and harder work will make it grow. This can cause structural changes, plus the fact that most hearts grow inwards, making it less able to pump blood.