What Causes High Blood Pressure?

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

In 90 to 95 percent of high blood pressure cases, the cause is unknown. In fact, you can have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. That's why it's the “silent killer” When the cause is unknown, you have what's called essential or primary hypertension.

In the remaining 5% or less of people with elevated blood pressure,a specific cause is known, and they are considered to have "secondary hypertension." Examples of causes of secondary
hypertension include kidney failure, narrowing of the arteries to the kidneys, and various hormonal conditions.
These problems can usually be corrected. For example, doctors can repair a narrowed artery that supplies blood to a kidney. Most of these problems can be ruled out by a careful history, a physical examination and a few tests. Special tests are sometimes needed, but you don't usually have to stay in the hospital.

Over 95% of people with elevated blood pressure have "essential hypertension." This means that the specific cause of their high blood pressure is not known. It is likely that both genetic
(inherited) and environmental factors, such as your diet, play a role. The ways that all of the contributing factors interact to elevate blood pressure are not necessarily the same for each person.

In addition, most of the genetic causes of hypertension are still a matter of research. Therefore, for the time being, most patients with high blood pressure are considered to have "essential
high blood pressure."

Does Age Affect a Person's Risk of Having High Blood Pressure ?
Hypertension, in particular the type that selectively increases systolic blood pressure (the "top" number), becomes steadily more common with advancing age. Older the patient, more will be the chances of high blood pressure.

Is High blood Pressure Genetic?
For the vast majority of hypertensive patients, there is no one gene passed on (inherited) from parent to child that is responsible for high blood pressure. More likely, there are many different genes that interact with each other and the environment to produce high blood pressure. Therefore, inheritance predisposes a person to high blood pressure, but hypertension might only occur with the addition of one or more environmental factors. But it is possible that hypertension may run in Families. So Family history is also significant of a hypertensive patient addition, African Americans are more prone as a group to develop hypertension and develop it at
a younger age than those of other races or heritage.

Does a High Salt Diet Cause High Blood Pressure ?
It has been known for a long time that societies with diets high in salt experience more hypertension and the associated complications of heart attack, stroke, and organ damage. It is not known, however, if increased salt is itself responsible for elevated blood pressure.

It might be, for example, that people from societies with increased salt intake may also have some other dietary factors or an inherited factor that is responsible for their hypertension. Most physicians do not believe that high salt intake alone causes high blood pressure, but they do believe it plays an important role. The most likely explanation is that there are other environmental and genetic factors that along with high salt intake all work together to cause
hypertension. More salt you take, your kidneys will retain more water inside body, resulting in increased blood pressure.

Does Alcohol Consumption Cause High Blood Pressure?
Although the media has widely publicized the beneficial effects of alcohol on the heart, it must be remembered that this applies only to moderate alcohol intake. People who have more than two drinks per day are much more likely to have sustained elevations in blood pressure than nondrinkers. Alcohol may therefore be an unrecognized cause of hypertension in a large number of moderate to heavy drinkers.

Does Obesity Cause High Blood Pressure ?
The reasons why obesity may lead to hypertension are not completely understood, but weight reduction in obese patients definitely lowers blood pressure. The benefits of even a modest reduction in weight are multiple: reduction or elimination of blood pressure medications, improvement in cholesterol levels, and decreased risk of heart attack. Unfortunately, as many patients can attest, weight reduction is easy to recommend but difficult to achieve and
maintain. A daily exercise program, a strong social support system, and initially modest goals for weight loss are all required for long-term success.

Does Emotional Stress or Caffeine Cause High Blood Pressure?
Emotional stress, in the short term, can elevate the blood pressure. However, it does not cause a persistent elevation in blood pressure and therefore does not cause true hypertension with its associated consequences. Relaxation therapies and biofeedback may offer other benefits, but they have not been shown to prevent the development of hypertension or significantly lower blood pressure.

Similarly, caffeine may raise the blood pressure in the short term (and should not be ingested immediately before a doctor checks your blood pressure). However, tolerance to caffeine develops quickly, and any blood pressure elevation is not sustained.

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