Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. Having high blood pressure increases your risk of heart disease, heart attack or stroke. This condition can be challenging to diagnose because it can exist without any signs or symptoms. You may not know you have hypertension until you develop complications. To help prevent serious illness, it is important to check your blood pressure often and to know what the risk factors are.
Age
Blood pressure measures the force that blood places against the arteries as it is pumped through your body. Your blood pressure naturally rises a bit with age because the heart muscle begins to pump less efficiently and there is natural wear and tear on the arteries. These age-related changes can increase the amount of force the blood places against your artery walls. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, this begins around age 45 for men and around age 55 for women. While blood pressure may rise slightly with age, you do have some control over it. Keep track of your numbers and make healthy lifestyle choices to help keep your blood pressure in check.
Race and Gender
Certain populations are more prone to hypertension. African-Americans seem to be at the highest risk. For adults under the age of 60, men tend to be at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure than women. Once reaching age 60, men and women are equally at risk. In addition to race and gender, you are more likely to develop hypertension if you have a family member with this condition. The American Heart Association (AHA) reminds you that even if this condition runs in your family or you are in a high-risk category, you can avoid problems by making good choices when it comes to exercise and diet.
Overweight/Obese
If you are carrying extra weight, you are making your heart work harder to pump the blood and oxygen your body needs. This strains the heart and arteries and can make your blood pressure rise. The American Heart Association recommends keeping your body mass index, or BMI, under 25 to keep your risk low. It also is important to try to shed those extra pounds. The AHA says losing just 10 to 20 pounds if you are overweight can make a big difference.
Unhealthy Diet
If you eat more calories than your body needs, the extra will get stored in your body as fat. This happens whether you are eating carbohydrates, fats or protein--and it packs on the pounds. Even if you eat the right number of calories, consuming too much fat, cholesterol and salt will increase your risk of hypertension as well. Too much salt can lead to weight gain and edema. Too much fat and cholesterol can lead to plaque buildup on your artery walls. This hardens and narrows your arteries, making it harder for blood to get through. This equals more pressure on the artery walls and higher blood pressure numbers. For some, too much alcohol also can increase hypertension risk.
Smoking
If you have high blood pressure or are at risk for it and you smoke, you need to quit. As the Family Doctor website explains, "The nicotine in cigarettes and other tobacco products causes your blood vessels to constrict and your heart to beat faster." This means smoking can raise your blood pressure every time you light up. In addition, smoking is known to physically damage your blood vessels, which will raise your blood pressure levels over the long term.
Physical Inactivity
Being inactive and having high blood pressure go hand in hand, the Mayo Clinic says. If you have some risk factors for hypertension that you cannot control, adding in some exercise can help you prevent this condition. Without regular exercise, you are more likely to be overweight. In addition, if you sit too much, your heart muscle can become weak and less efficient at its job. Thirty minutes of moderate aerobic-type activity on most days of the week can lower your risk.
