What To Know About High Blood Pressure

Islamabad (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / Online – ) Blood pressure is the amount of force that blood exerts on the walls of the arteries as it flows through them. When this pressure reaches high levels, it can lead to serious health problems.In the United States, approximately one in every three adults has high blood pressure, which equates to about 75 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Without treatment, high blood pressure, or hypertension, can lead to grave health conditions, including heart failure, vision loss, stroke, and kidney disease.In this article, we look at the causes of high blood pressure and how to treat it.

We also explain the blood pressure measurements that health authorities consider to be healthy and too high.CausesAge, physical inactivity, and obesity can all increase the risk of high bloodpressure.The heart is a muscle that pumps blood around the body.It pumps blood with low oxygen levels toward the lungs, which replenish oxygen supplies.The heart then pumps oxygen-rich bloodaround the body to supply the muscles and cells.

This pumping action creates pressure.If a person has high blood pressure, it means that the walls of the arteries are constantly under too much force.It is possible to divide the causes of high blood pressure into two categories:� Essential high blood pressure: This type of high bloodpressure has no established cause.� Secondary high blood pressure: Another health problem is causing increased blood pressure.Even though essential high blood pressure has no identifiable cause, strong evidence links specific factors to the risk of developing this condition.The risk factors for essential and secondary high blood pressure include the following.Age: The risk of high blood pressure increases as a person becomes older because the blood vessels become less flexible.Family history: People who have close family members with hypertension have a significantly higher risk of developing it themselves.Ethnic background: African-American people have a higher risk of developing hypertension than other people.

Hypertension also presents more severely in African-American people and is less responsive to certain medications.Obesity and being overweight: People who are overweight or have obesity are more likely to develop high blood pressure.Some aspects of sex: In general, high blood pressure is more common among adult men than adult women.

However, after the age of 55 years, a woman‘s relative risk of hypertension increases.Physical inactivity: Lack of exercise and having a sedentary lifestyle raise the risk of hypertension.Smoking: Tobacco intake causes the blood vessels to narrow, resulting in higher bloodpressure.

Smoking also reduces the blood‘s oxygen content, so the heart pumps faster to compensate, causing an increase in blood pressure.Alcohol intake: Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can dramatically raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart failure, stroke, and irregular heartbeat.Poor diet: Many healthcare professionals say that a diet high in fats and salt leads to a high risk of hypertension.

However, most dietitians stress that the problem is the type of fat rather than the amount.Plant sources of fats, such as avocados, nuts, olive oil, and omega oils, are healthful. Saturated fats and trans fats, which are common in animal-sourced and processed foods, are bad for health.High cholesterol: More than 50 percent of all people with high blood pressure have high cholesterol.

A diet that contains lots of unhealthful fats can cause cholesterol to build up in the arteries.Mental stress: Stress can have a severe impact on blood pressure, especially when it is chronic. It can occur as a result of both socioeconomic and psychosocial factors.Excessive stress might also lead to actions that increase the risk of hypertension, such as consuming larger amounts of alcohol.Diabetes: People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing hypertension.

However, prescribed use of insulin and consistent blood sugar control can reduce the long-term risk of people with type 1 diabetes developing hypertension.People with type 2 diabetes are at risk of hypertension as a result of high blood sugar, as well as other factors, such as certain medications, underlying cardiovascular disease, and being overweight or having obesity.Pregnancy: Pregnant women have a higher risk of developing hypertension than women of the same age who are not pregnant.

Preeclampsia is a placental disorder that can increase blood pressure to dangerous levels.Sleep apnea: This sleep disorder, which causes people to stop breathing while asleep, might also lead to hypertension