Risk Factors and Causes of Hypertension
High blood pressure or hypertension affects millions of people worldwide from children to older adults. There are many factors that can cause high blood pressure, but most notably are obesity, diabetes and excessive alcohol consumption. When the pressure of your blood exerts against the artery walls and it is too high, it causes high blood pressure leading to certain life-threatening conditions – stroke and heart disease. Hypertension is also called a silent killer as for the majority of individuals there are no symptoms.
Here are the causes and risk factors of Hypertension:
For the maximum people (around 80% to 90%) with high blood pressure, the main cause is unknown and there are different factors that contribute to it and it is called primary hypertension and for the rest of the people (5% to 10%), the cause can always be linked to medication or some underlying medical condition and is called secondary hypertension.
A doctor after reviewing medical and family histories can determine the underlying medical problem that has led to high blood pressure.
Primary or Essential Hypertension
People with primary or essential hypertension have several factors that increase the risk of high blood pressure. These factors cannot be controlled and can also increase the risk.
- Family history: If your parents have hypertension, then there is a higher chance of you developing high blood pressure.
- Age: As you get older, there is always a risk of developing hypertension. If you are over 50 years of age, then there is a higher chance of you developing hypertension
Secondary High Blood Pressure
The doctor after reviewing your family and medical history can determine the medical problem that had led to high blood pressure. Some of the causes of secondary high blood pressure include:
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hormonal Disorders
- Kidney Disease
- Medications
Your lifestyle can also increase the likelihood of having hypertension or a sudden rise in high blood pressure
Being Overweight: If you are more than 15% to 20% of the healthy weight for your body mass, there is always a chance of getting high blood pressure significantly. Obesity or people who are obese have the tendency of developing high blood pressure two to three six times more than a person with a healthy weight.
Being Inactive: If you are inactive or do not move much, you can end up having a high heart rate. When we exercise, our heart muscles and circulatory system also stays in shape helping in an evening in the blood pressure. But when you are inactive, there are chances of increasing the likelihood of cardiovascular trouble.
Stress: Excessive and Chronic stress can lead to high blood pressure and also leads to certain behaviors such as drinking and smoking that can always raise blood pressure.
Smoking: Smoking also negatively affects key body functions that include the ability to exercise therefore leading to obesity and then high blood pressure. Smoking also damages your arteries and also increases the likelihood of heart disease.
Unhealthy diet Quality nutrition is always good and critical for better health. Consuming excessive saturated fats and sugars can always contribute to high blood pressure. People who have high blood pressure should make adequate changes in their diet. A high intake of salt or sodium is said to be directly linked to high blood pressure.
Diagnosing & Treating Your High Blood Pressure
If left untreated, high blood pressure can result in serious consequences, but it is easy to detect. You can visit a pharmacy or take an appointment with a doctor to get your blood pressure measured. A doctor will try to know your medical history and also potential risk factors and also conduct a physical exam or ask for additional tests.
There are two main treatments recommended for hypertension – drug therapy and lifestyle changes.
The doctor can suggest you the correct drug therapy for hypertension. Once you are on medications, you should take the advice of the doctor and also have the doctor check for potential side effects. Once the blood pressure is lowered you should continue the doctor appointments as advised by the doctor.
Certain lifestyle changes can help bring down your hypertension
- Maintaining a healthy diet
- Quitting Smoking
- Losing weight
- Regular Exercising
- Reducing your salt intake
When to see a Doctor
It’s quite important for you to get checked if you suspect that you may be at risk of hypertension. Even if there are no symptoms as is with the majority of those with hypertension, you should get yourself checked regularly.
Why Ravi Hospital?
At the Ravi hospital, we have an exclusive team of high blood pressure specialist in Kukatpally who are highly qualified, trained and experienced to treat hypertension with the right treatment. We truly understand that every individual is unique and we take care to provide personalized care and therapy. Ravi hospital is the best hospital for high blood pressure in Kukatpally that provides exclusive hypertension treatment in KPHB. We also help individual patients with the required instructions to control their high blood pressure by advising them on appropriate lifestyle habits, medication and constant personal patient follow-up to ensure that the patient’s condition is stable and the blood pressure is under control.
