{"id":9229,"date":"2016-08-04T07:00:03","date_gmt":"2016-08-04T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=9229"},"modified":"2017-09-19T20:26:01","modified_gmt":"2017-09-20T01:26:01","slug":"what-causes-high-blood-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/08\/what-causes-high-blood-pressure\/","title":{"rendered":"What Causes High Blood Pressure?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Causes High Blood Pressure?\"What<\/h1>\n

High blood pressure is the most common cardiovascular disease<\/a><\/strong> in the world. In the United States alone, 50 million people \u2013 that\u2019s one in four \u2013 have high blood pressure.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s nothing to sneeze at. High blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, kidney failure, and strokes, just to name a few of the possible risks<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Common Causes of High Blood Pressure<\/h2>\n

High blood pressure, which doctors often refer to as hypertension, doesn\u2019t have one clear cause. In rare cases, referred to as secondary hypertension, physicians can identify a definite cause. In 95% of cases though \u2013 those referred to as essential hypertension \u2013 the primary cause is a mystery,<\/p>\n

We know that it\u2019s common for people to get it if others in their family have it, so there may be a genetic component. And we can link several common lifestyle choices, demographic categories, and illnesses to a likelihood of high blood pressure.<\/p>\n

Demographic Factors<\/h3>\n

Men are more likely to have high blood pressure than women. African Americans are more likely to have it than white people. And your risk increases the older you get.<\/p>\n

Illnesses Linked to High Blood Pressure<\/h3>\n

The main diseases known to cause or contribute to high blood pressure are kidney disease and sleep apnea. The cases where kidney disease contributes to high blood pressure are often those that fall in the secondary hypertension category, since doctors can make the link between the two diseases. Some adrenal and thyroid disorders are also associated with a higher risk of hypertension.<\/p>\n

Lifestyle Factors<\/h3>\n

You can\u2019t control your illnesses and demographics, but you can control the lifestyle factors that contribute to high blood pressure. Most of the items on the list are common to many health problems:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Smoking<\/li>\n
  • Not getting enough physical activity<\/li>\n
  • Consuming too much salt<\/li>\n
  • Drinking alcohol heavily<\/li>\n
  • High stress<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Some types of birth control can also increase your likelihood of experiencing high blood pressure, as can pregnancy.<\/p>\n

    Ways to Prevent High Blood Pressure<\/h2>\n

    People who get high blood pressure due to an illness like kidney disease or sleep apnea should work to treat the original illness first. For the rest of us, the main path to avoiding high blood pressure should be pretty obvious based on the list above. And as a bonus, it\u2019s the same list of suggestions for avoiding most other serious health problems seniors face:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Exercise more<\/li>\n
    • Eat more fruits and vegetables<\/li>\n
    • Quit smoking<\/li>\n
    • Cut down on the amount of salt you put in your food<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      If you don\u2019t quite achieve total prevention, don\u2019t worry too much. Lots of people get high blood pressure at some point and it\u2019s possible to manage it.<\/p>\n

      Make sure you get to your doctor for regular visits so they\u2019ll have a chance to catch it before it gets too serious. If you do end up hearing you have hypertension on your next check up, you can work out a plan with your doctor to bring it down.<\/p>\n

      You may have to give up some of your tasty favorites at dinnertime and get off the couch a bit more often, but you can nip some of the more serious complications in the bud if you take action early.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      What Causes High Blood Pressure? High blood pressure is the most common cardiovascular disease in the world. In the United States alone, 50 million people \u2013 that\u2019s one in four \u2013 have high blood pressure. And it\u2019s nothing to sneeze at. High blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, kidney failure, and strokes, just to name a few of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2199,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[200,35],"tags":[45],"class_list":{"0":"post-9229","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-families-caregivers","7":"category-senior-health-fitness","8":"tag-senior-health"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Causes High Blood Pressure? - SeniorAdvisor.com Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What causes high blood pressure isn't always clear, but doctors have found some risk factors that play a role. 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