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High blood pressure is a prevalent problem among all age groups. Moreover, the risk factors of having high blood pressure increase as we get older.
High blood pressure is also prevalent in children, usually linked to underlying problems like heart disease and kidney disease.
What does blood pressure mean?
High blood pressure describes a situation where the flow of blood through the body puts too much pressure against the walls of the arteries.
Hence high blood pressure is also called hypertension because the pressure puts a strain or tension on the arteries.
Further, you need to understand that high blood pressure can lead to a serious problem if you ignore the early symptoms.
However, in general, many people do not realize they have high blood pressure problems until they become severe or cause major, long-term problems.
As per research studies, some serious complications caused by high blood pressure include stroke, heart disease, kidney failure, heart attack, and peripheral artery disease.
As high blood pressure progresses, some symptoms pop us before it gets to a critical stage.
Most high blood pressure symptoms are headaches, nausea, narrowing of the retinas, seizures, confusion, and fatigue.
It indicates that these are the signs of a blood pressure problem and should be investigated as soon as possible.
Furthermore, high blood pressure may seem like a simple problem, but it is considered a complex problem to draw any conclusion.
Additionally, high blood pressure has not registered any direct causes that can specifically be said to cause high blood pressure.
There are some factors, however, that are recognized as being contributors to the problem, including high salt intake, alcohol intake, obesity, genetics, vitamin D deficiency, and aging.
Causes of High Blood Pressure
There are no specific medical causes of high blood pressure that can be determined.
High blood pressure or hypertension is classified under two heads
- Primary or essential hypertension
- Secondary hypertension
Primary or Essential hypertension
Primary or “Essential” hypertension is a type of blood pressure that can’t be cured. In most cases, however, it can be controlled.
Essential hypertension accounts for about 95% of high blood pressure cases.
Narrowing of the arteries, more blood than normal, or a faster or more forceful heartbeat are all conditions that can increase the force of blood against artery walls.
The term “hypertension” should not be confused with nervous tension. Hypertension refers only to the pressure (tension) in the arteries.
Heredity and environmental problem
While any exact causes of essential hypertension are unknown, heredity, high blood pressure cause, and environment can play a role.
As per the research paper, 50% of the cause can be genetic and 50% environmental. So your risk increases if your family has a history of hypertension.
However, various factors can play different roles –and work differently in different people. Because of the variety of mechanisms involved, identifying and understanding a cause is complex.
Stress and diet
Stress and diet are just two suspected environmental causes of essential hypertension. But there is much debate and studies about the extent of an impact either may have.
Both are difficult to study, given the inherent daily fluctuations and interactions with other environmental factors.
Commonly cited studies note an increase in hypertension in people moving from rural, often more primitive cultures, to the western society.
Changes in the diet (higher salt and fat meals) and increased stress are often blamed for increasing the incidence of hypertension.
While anyone can develop high blood pressure, some people are more likely to develop it than others. For example, high blood pressure is more common in African-Americans than white European women.
Moreover, the risk factor for high blood pressure increases as you age and have a family history of heart disease.
The other most common risk factors include smoking, being overweight, taking birth control pills, or excessive salt intake.
Caffeine
The caffeine in drinks like tea, coffee, and sodas may also cause high blood pressure, but only temporarily. In a short period, your blood pressure will return to normal.
Secondary Hypertension
About 5% of hypertension cases can be traced to a known cause like adrenal gland tumors, chronic kidney disease, hormone abnormalities, birth control pills, or pregnancy. It is called “secondary hypertension.”
Secondary hypertension is usually cured if its cause passes or is corrected.
For instance, a tumor in the adrenal gland (called an Aldosteronoma) can increase blood pressure raising hormones (aldosterone) that the gland secretes naturally. The result is secondary hypertension.
Once the tumor is identified and removed, the patient’s blood pressure should return to normal.
In other rare cases, secondary hypertension may begin in childhood due to narrowing the Aorta.
The Aorta is the main artery that carries blood away from the heart to the rest part of the body.
The narrowing (called coarctation) restricts blood flow to the lower body, which results in high blood pressure in the arms. Once the cause is corrected, normal blood pressure is restored.
Panic attacks
Panic attacks have sometimes been associated with high blood pressure. A panic attack involves any number of symptoms, including dizziness, choking, sweating, difficulty in breathing, chest pain, nausea, and fear.
However, panic attacks are unlikely to cause hypertension. Research shows that such attacks are more common in people with high blood pressure. Yet a cause and effect relationship between panic attacks and high blood pressure has not been established.
White Coat Hypertension
Whitecoat hypertension is a phenomenon where an individual’s blood pressure consistently measures high at the doctor’s office yet is normal at other times.
Whitecoat hypertension is not uncommon in older people. The name comes from the white coat that medical personnel often wear.
Should your blood pressure measure normal when you take your own readings but seem somewhat higher when taken by a doctor, you should mention the difference to your doctor.
Risk factors for High Blood Pressure
Several risk factors can contribute to high blood pressure. Let’s look into different risk factors.
Obesity
The risk of hypertension is five times higher if the person is obese than those of normal weight.
Sodium sensitivity
It is has been estimated that approximately one-third of the essential high blood pressure population is responsive to sodium intake.
In such cases, the pressure on the blood vessel walls increases with increasing salt intake.
The salt intake makes the bloodstream release water from the cell due to osmotic pressure. Further, it helps in equilibrating the concentration gradient of salt between the cells and the bloodstream.
Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia
According to the research studies, insulin resistance is responsible for the increased arterial pressure in some patients with high blood pressure.
Sleep apnea
It is a common and under-recognized cause of high blood pressure
Genetics
The inheritance is probably multifactorial, or many different genetic defects each have elevated blood pressure as one of their phenotypic expressions.
High blood pressure can be caused by mutations in single genes inherited on a mendelian basis.
Age
According to the research paper, as we age, the number of collagen fibers in artery and arteriole walls increases, making blood vessels stiffer.
The reduced elasticity comes to a smaller cross-sectional area in systole; raising means arterial blood pressure.
Licorice
As per the case report, the consumption of Liquorice tea can lead to a surge in blood pressure. Further, a low blood level of potassium will also be present if Liquorice is the cause of the high blood pressure.
Also, the extracts of Liquorice may be present in many medicines (for example, cough syrups, throat lozenges, and peptic ulcer treatments)
Cushing’s Syndrome
Many studies have shown that more than 80%of patients with Cushing’s syndrome have high blood pressure.
Drugs
Certain medications, especially NSAIDs (Motrin/Ibuprofen) and steroids, can cause high blood pressure.
Also, certain medicines, such as asthma medicines (for example, corticosteroids) and cold-relief products, may raise blood pressure.
Rebound hypertension
Rebound hypertension is associated with the sudden withdrawal of various antihypertensive medications. However, this may be prevented by gradually reducing the dose (also known as “dose tapering”)
As a result, it gives the body enough time to adjust to a reduction in dose.
Birth control pills, becoming pregnant, or taking hormone replacement therapy.
Some women’s blood pressure can go up because of birth control pills, becoming pregnant, or taking hormone replacement therapy.
Stress, smoking and drinking alcohol.
Stress and a faulty style of living are some of the leading causes of high blood pressure.
Further, smoking and drinking alcohol can injure blood vessel walls and speed up the hardening of arteries.
Moreover, blood pressure (especially systolic) always transiently increases following alcohol consumption.
Excessive intake of intoxicants
You need to understand that tea, coffee, refined, and processed foods destroy the natural pace of life. Further, it prevents the expulsion of waste and poisonous matter from the body.
Lack of physical activity level
Heart rate tends to increase if there is a lack of physical activity, which forces your heart to work harder with each contraction.
Potassium intake
Potassium and sodium balance one another, so if there is low potassium, it can result in elevated sodium in cells.
Underlying condition and intake of drugs
Causes of High blood pressure can be an underlying conditions such as kidney disease, hormonal disorders, thyroid disease, and adrenal gland disease.
Also, the intake of certain drugs (such as oral contraceptives or herbs such as licorice) can cause high blood pressure. If this is the case, it is called secondary high blood pressure.
How to prevent high blood pressure?
As we mentioned earlier, high blood pressure can also result from an underlying problem in the body or because of pregnancy, sleep problems, or medication.
So how do you prevent or cure high blood pressure?
Exercise is known for improving blood flow and so is a highly effective way of lowering blood pressure if done regularly.
Eliminating alcohol tobacco and reducing stress has also proven effective in lowering blood pressure.
Reducing salt and sugar intake are other good ways to decrease blood pressure.
Moreover, dietary changes such as eating more fruits and vegetables, using low-fat or fat-free dairy products, and adding a bit of garlic to your diet have lower blood pressure in some people.
There may be situations where medication is necessary to lower and control blood pressure and keep it within a safe range.
Wherever possible, you must try as many lifestyle changes as possible before turning to medication as a last resort.
Since multiple types of medication are usually required to keep the blood pressure under control, the medicines may cause serious side effects.
