Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

Risk Factors of Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

Like any other disease and disorder, High Blood Pressure has its risk factors as well. It includes:

• Age:  High BP is more common in men than in women after the age of 65 years. However, the risk of High BP increases with age.
• Physically Inactive: Being physically inactive is the potential risk factor. If a person is physically inactive, the heart rate would be high. If the heart rate is high,  it puts an immense strain on the arteries making your heart put extra effort to pump blood, thus leading to high blood pressure.
• Family History: Studies have suggested that high BP has the ability to run into a family.
• Obesity (Overweight): Being overweight is a definite calling for many diseases and disorders. When a person is obese, more nutrients and oxygen is needed by the cells of the body. Due to this, the blood flow increases in the arteries leading to an increase in pressure on the walls of arteries and eventually resulting in High BP.
• Using Tobacco and its products: Smoking and use of tobacco is injurious to health. The arteries of your heart can be severely damaged whether you chew or smoke tobacco. Consuming tobacco in any form shrinks the arteries of the heart, increasing the pressure on the walls of arteries and escalating the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
• Excessive use of salt in diet: Your body is able to retain more fluid which leads to high BP if you are using excessive sodium salt in your diet. However, if you are using less potassium salt in your diet, again this causes high BP. This is due to the reason that potassium actually helps in balancing the amount of sodium in your body cells, which can normalize your BP.
• Stress: It is the main catalyst for many diseases and disorders. Taking stress can temporarily increase your BP, however, prolonged stress can also permanently alter your normal blood pressure and even health. The use of tobacco, alcohol, or any other narcotic drugs to release stress causes high BP and other underlying health conditions.
• Sleep apnea, diabetes, pregnancy, insomnia, processed foods, and drinking alcohol also triggers high BP.

Health Complications and Harmful Effects of High Blood Pressure

In order to maintain the functions of the body, normal blood pressure is very necessary. But, if you are suffering from high blood pressure and if it goes uncontrolled, it can seriously damage your blood vessels. 

Uncontrolled and high blood pressure can lead to several life-threatening  complications such as 

 

• Aneurysm
• Brain Haemorrhage 
• Heart Attack
• Heart Failure
• Metabolic disorders
• Memory loss or dementia
• Kidney disorders such as chronic kidney diseases (blood vessels in the kidneys get shrink)
• Risk of Angina
• The blood vessels in the eyes can be narrowed, thicken, and broken
• Trouble in understanding and accessing things