Are You at Risk for Hypertension?

Stephanie, 32, worked out six days a week. She was slender and watched her diet closely, swearing off almost all processed foods. At her yearly physical, she was shocked when the doctor mentioned her elevated risk for hypertension, then commended her lifestyle. Both her parents had a history of high blood pressure.

Overview of Hypertension

We most often refer to it as high blood pressure. By definition, hypertension occurs when the force of your blood against the walls of your arteries is high enough to potentially cause health problems, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries determine your blood pressure. The more blood your heart is able to pump and the narrower your arteries are, the higher your blood pressure numbers will be. Individuals can have hypertension for many years without knowing it. When it's uncontrolled, a number of serious health conditions such as heart attacks and strokes can occur.

Risk Factors for Hypertension

Thanks to substantial publicity about high blood pressure in recent years, many people are familiar with at least a few of the risk factors associated with this condition. However, like Stephanie, you might face an elevated risk and not realize it until a doctor points it out to you.

Age. As you get older, your chances of developing hypertension rise. Until the early portion of middle age, men experience it more often than women do. After women go through menopause, the tables turn.

Race. African-Americans in particular have a high incidence of high blood pressure and experience complications like heart attacks and stroke more often than other groups do. Hypertension frequently develops at an earlier age for them than it does in Caucasians.

Family history. Doctors recognize that high blood pressure runs in families.

Obesity and being overweight. You don't have to be obese to face an elevated risk. The higher your weight, the more blood your body needs to furnish oxygen and nutrients to keep you going. The greater the volume of blood moving through your vessels, the higher the pressure on the walls of your arteries.

Physical inactivity. If you're inactive, you'll experience a higher heart rate than someone who experiences more physical activity. This makes your heart work harder each time it beats and causes it to exert a stronger force on your arteries.

Tobacco use. Smoking or chewing tobacco causes your blood pressure to spike. The chemicals in tobacco products can also damage the walls of your arteries, causing them to narrow. If you're a victim of secondhand smoke, you're also at an elevated risk for hypertension.

Excessive sodium. It causes your body to retain flood, which increases blood pressure.

Inadequate potassium. Without sufficient potassium, your body can't balance the amount of sodium in your cells.

Inadequate vitamin D. Experts believe this vitamin might affect a kidney enzyme that affects your blood pressure.

Overconsumption of alcohol. Drinking too much alcohol can boost your risk of hypertension. Heavy drinking over an extended period might result in heart damage. More than two or three drinks at one sitting can temporarily raise your blood pressure by releasing hormones that elevate your heart rate and blood flow.

Stress. Even when they're temporary, the increases in your blood pressure due to stress can be very dramatic.

Chronic conditions. Some medical conditions have been linked to increased incidence of hypertension. If you have high cholesterol, diabetes, kidney disease, sleep apnea or a combination of them, your risk factors are elevated. Pregnancy in some women contributes to high blood pressure.

If even one of these risk factors for hypertension applies to you, it's important to mention it to your doctor. In addition to recommending certain lifestyle changes for some of the risk factors, he or she is likely to suggest that you regularly monitor your blood pressure at home.

Source:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/DS00100