How Hypertension Impacts Your Health And Your Rights In A Maryland Workers’ Compensation Claim

Any job has the potential to be stressful, but some job fields can be particularly difficult to deal with. Working under constant high pressure, amidst dangerous conditions, and regularly dealing with life-and-death situations can have significant impacts on your health. Hypertension is a common contributing factor in a variety of disabling and potentially life-threatening ailments. Our Maryland workers’ compensation attorney explains the impacts and your rights in seeking benefits.

How Hypertension Puts Your Health At Risk 

Hypertension is another word for high blood pressure, and it is a common medical condition. According to the Mayo Clinic, it happens when blood flows through the arteries and pushes against arterial walls with consistently too high force. The result is that your heart has to work harder in pumping blood throughout the body, resulting in a variety of potentially dangerous symptoms.

These can include:

• Chronic, severe headaches;
• Nose bleeds;
• Shortness of breath;
• Dizziness;
• Chest pains;
• Blurred vision;
• Nausea;
• Increased nervousness and anxiety attacks.

Left untreated, hypertension can have life-threatening impacts on your health. It increases the risk of adverse events, such as heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, and dementia. While some people are genetically predisposed to suffering from hypertension, facing significant stress on the job can also cause it and may increase the severity of your symptoms.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits For Hypertension

When you suffer work-related injuries or an occupational illness, benefits available through the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission act as a lifeline. They provide for your medical care, reimburse lost wages, and can compensate you for long-term permanent disabilities.

Job-related stress has well-documented impacts on your health and can increase the risks of developing hypertension. As a result, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. However, proving your condition is job-related can be challenging. Under Maryland workers’ compensation laws, there is a natural presumption that hypertension is an occupation risk among public service and emergency workers. This makes it easier for police, firefighters, and other public servants to get approved for hypertension benefits.

If you are not a public service worker or in an obviously high-stress field, such as an air traffic controller, you will likely need to provide additional evidence to support your claim. This includes:

• Details about stressful conditions on the job that put you at risk;
• Detailed medical records, documenting your condition;
• Statements from your doctor, affirming your hypertension is work-related;
• Statements from you and your family regarding the impacts your condition has on your life.

Get The Legal Help You Need From Our Maryland Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

Obtaining workers’ compensation benefits in Maryland for hypertension often proves difficult, even if you are a police officer, firefighter, or other emergency worker. At Berman | Sobin | Gross LLP we provide the professional legal help you need to get the total amount of benefits you are entitled to. To request a consultation, call or contact our Maryland workers’ compensation attorneys online today.

Sources:

mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373410

wcc.state.md.us/