Hypertension

Hypertension (high blood pressure) develops over the course of several years. Usually, you don’t notice any signs. But even without any signs, hypertension (high blood pressure) can cause damage to your blood vessels and organs, such as the brain, heart, eyes, and kidneys.

Types of Hypertension

Your healthcare will diagnose you with one of two types of hypertension (high blood pressure):

• Primary hypertension (high blood pressure). The main causes of this hypertension include age and unhealthy habits like not getting sufficient exercise.
• Secondary hypertension (high blood pressure). The common causes of this type of high blood pressure include different medical issues (for example kidney or hormonal problems) or sometimes a medication you’re taking.

Symptoms of Hypertension

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is normally a silent condition. Many individual won’t experience any symptoms.

Symptoms of severe hypertension can include:

• flushing
• Blood spots in the eyes
• dizziness

Causes of Hypertension

• Genes: Some individual are genetically predisposed to hypertension. This come from gene mutations or genetic abnormalities inherited from your parents.
• Age: People over 65 years old are more at risk for hypertension.
• Race: Black non-Hispanic men and women have a higher incidence of hypertension.
• Living with obesity: Living with obesity can lead to a cardiac problems, including hypertension.
• High alcohol consumption: Women who habitually have more than one drink per day, and men who have more than two drinks per day, have increased risk for hypertension.
• Living with diabetes and/or metabolic syndrome: Men and women diagnosed with either diabetes or metabolic syndrome are at a higher risk of developing hypertension.
• High sodium intake: People with high sodium intake may be at higher risk of hypertension.

Hypertension Complications

Untreated hypertension (high blood pressure) may lead to serious health issues including:

• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Kidney disease/failure
• Complications during pregnancy
• Eye damage
• Vascular dementia

Hypertension prevention

There are a lot of things you can do to decrease your risk of developing high blood pressure. This include eating right, getting the right amount of exercise and managing salt intake.