What Are Some of the Risk Factors for High Blood Pressure?

Recent concerns have caused more people to become interested in finding out what their blood pressure levels are. If you are an adult and you have a high blood pressure reading (over 140/90 mm Hg), you have a medical condition known as hypertension or high blood pressure. This automatically puts you at risk for other medical complications such as heart disease, stroke, blood clots and other medical problems. It is highly recommended that you see a doctor immediately so that you can learn how to manage your blood pressure and how often you should have it checked.

The dangerous thing about High blood pressure is that oftentimes, it has no noticeable symptoms. Therefore, if you haven't had it checked in a while, make sure you take the time to set an appointment now. Studies have shown that as many as one in three adults in the United States alone, has high blood pressure. The most striking thing about this need is that almost 30% of them don't even know that they have it.

What are some factors that contribute to high blood pressure?

To date, Medical science doesn't fully understand why most cases of high blood pressure occur. So at the present time, it is almost impossible to say how to prevent it. However, they have been able to determine that there are several factors that contribute to high blood pressure, and are responsible for raising your risk of having a stroke, or either a heart attack.

The good news is that there are some factors that you're able to control yourself. Those factors are listed below.

1. One of the main contributors is obesity. Many different studies have shown that people with a body mass index of 30.0 or higher, have a much how risky developing high blood pressure.

2. Using too much salt on your food will greatly increase your risk factor. Again, studies have shown that if you have a high amount of sodium in your diet, your risk of having getting high blood pressure will be greatly increased.

3. The excessive use of alcohol has also been shown to dramatically increase a person's risk of developing hypertension.

4. Lack of physical activity is probably one of the greatest factors that contributes to high blood pressure because, an inactive lifestyle makes it easier for you to become overweight, thereby increasing your chances of developing high blood pressure.

5. If you are prone to have a high level of stress, chances are that you will also develop high blood pressure as well.

Are there any uncontrollable risk factors?

There are certain factors that you will not be able to control, such as your race. Studies have shown that Afro-Americans have a greater chance of developing high blood pressure, when compared to Caucasians. The high blood pressure in Afro-Americans also tends to occur earlier, and tends to be more severe.

Your heredity is another uncontrollable factor when it comes to high blood pressure. If hypertension has been known to run in your family, chances are that you will also have a greater chance of developing it as well.

Your age is probably the least controllable of all factors that contribute to high blood pressure, and the fact of the matter is that the older you get, the greater your chances of developing high blood pressure. High blood pressure also occurs more often in people that are over the age of 35. It has also been noted that men stand a greater chance of developing high blood pressure than women.

When it comes to high blood pressure, there are some things that we can control, and some things that we can't. However, those things that we can control should be focused on with the utmost intensity. This will ensure that you will have the opportunity to live a long, healthy and productive life.