What is a possible complication of prolonged hypertension?

Prolonged hypertension, or high blood pressure, can lead to a variety of complications, one of the most serious being kidney damage. The kidneys are vital organs responsible for filtering waste from the blood and regulating blood pressure. When hypertension persists over time, the increased pressure can damage the blood vessels in the kidneys, impairing their ability to function properly. This can lead to kidney disease, which may progress to kidney failure if not managed effectively.

The other options, while they may be related to various health conditions, are not direct complications of prolonged hypertension. Cerebral edema typically arises from conditions such as trauma or stroke, chronic fatigue could have multiple non-specific causes, and joint pain is more commonly associated with arthritis or injury rather than hypertension. Therefore, kidney damage is the most direct and significant complication associated with long-term uncontrolled high blood pressure.