Risk Factors of Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

Hypertension is a common health concern that is characterised by an increase in blood pressure for a longer duration that causes critical damage to the blood vessels.People diagnosed with hypertension can breed other life-threatening conditions like heart failure, stores, impair kidneys, lack of oxygen, and many more complications. These complications can severely impair their quality of life.

Hence, it is crucial to shift to healthy choices like regular exercise, a healthy high blood pressure diet, and retraining from addictive substances.

Factors That Influence Hypertension

Hypertension is linked to certain characteristics such as age and pre-existing or underlying conditions like diabetes. Some of the other prominent factors that influence hypertension include:

• Age:

  As individuals age, the risk of hypertension also increases. The onset of hypertension in most cases is in people above the age of 45. There are possibilities of people contracting it at a younger age as well.

• Diabetes:

  Diabetes and hypertension can be interlinked; Diabetes is a medical condition that stiffens the arteries, which cause hypertension.

• Hereditary:

  Hypertension is a condition that can be passed down to generations; hence the possibility of having it is high if it runs in your family.

• Other Medical Conditions:

  A person with a history of kidney disease, adrenal gland conditions like pheochromocytoma, or congenital adrenal hyperplasia can be prone to hypertension. A good lifestyle is synonymous with a healthy heart; hence adopting smoking, alcohol, salt, oily food to your system could lead to heart conditions or high blood pressure.

Here are some of the risk factors of hypertension:

• Nicotine Addiction:

  Smoking or chewing tobacco can cause lasting damages to your blood circulatory system. Chemicals like nicotine used in making cigarettes cause thinning, hardening of artery walls, clogged arteries, and change the blood composition. These are the factors that amount to a high risk of hypertension among individuals.

• Alcohol Addiction:

  High amounts of alcohol consumption are lethal and increases your risks of contracting hypertension. Over-consumption of alcohol can narrow your arteries which interrupts and slows the blood flow around the body. Hence, it is advised to cut down alcohol levels and maintain moderation.

• Obesity:

  The risk of hypertension is also closely monitored by your eating and exercising lifestyle. An unhealthy diet and no exercise lead to conditions such as being overweight and obesity, which cause hypertension. An increase in weight causes strains on the arteries to pump blood that results in resistance, causing high blood pressure.

• Salty Diet:

  Adding an extra pinch of salt to your diet could lead to making a compromise on your health. The human body stores extra water to wipe out salt from our body; more salt intake leads to rising water levels; this retention can lead to high blood pressure.

• Disturbed Sleep Cycle:

  An irregular sleep cycle can cause disturbances in hormonal levels that lead to hypertension.

In Conclusion,

One of the major steps in maintaining a healthy blood pressure is understanding the risk factors of hypertension. And for that, awareness plays a key role. You can find all the vital information about hypertension, its causes, and treatments on BPinControl. Furthermore, through BP In Control, you can even connect and schedule an appointment with an expert cardiologist in your area as well.

Note of Caution: This article is for information purposes only. Always consult your doctor in case of any blood pressure or other health-related problems.

REFERENCES :

1. https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/risk-factors-for-high-blood-pressure-hypertension
2. https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/risk_factors.htm