Causes and Symptoms
What causes high blood pressure?
For 85% to 95% of people with high blood pressure, the cause of their high blood pressure is not known. Called primary hypertension, this condition probably results from a variety of causes.1
Risk factors
Age and Sex. The risk of developing high blood pressure increases as you age. Most cases of high blood pressure are diagnosed in men, until the age of 45. From age 45 to 54, men and women are equally at risk for high blood pressure. After the age of 54, women are actually more likely to have high blood pressure than men.2 This may suggest that estrogen has a protective role in blood pressure. It is thought that estrogen helps keep blood vessels flexible. Estrogen may also work with other hormones to reduce the risk of high blood pressure in younger women.3
Family History. People with relatives who have high blood pressure are more likely to develop high blood pressure.4
Ethnicity. People of African American and Native American ethnicity have very high rates of high blood pressure, and the situation appears to be a growing problem. Compared with Caucasians, African Americans develop hypertension earlier in life, and their average blood pressures are much higher.2
Diet. People who regularly eat foods that are high in salt are more susceptible to high blood pressure.4
Obesity. People who are overweight are at risk for many illnesses, including high blood pressure.5
Stress. Studies have shown that people with heightened anxiety, intense anger, and suppressed expression of anger were more at risk of developing high blood pressure.6
Symptoms
People with high blood pressure usually experience no symptoms unless their blood pressure is extremely high, or if they have had high blood pressure for a long time.8 In these cases, damage may occur in major organs, such as the heart, brain, and kidneys, as well as in the small blood vessels in the eyes. It’s important to remember that if left untreated, high blood pressure may lead to serious complications.8
Next: Why it is important to treat hypertension
References: 1. Merck Research Laboratories. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. 18th ed. Whitehouse Station, NJ. Merck & Co., Inc., 2006. 2. American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2009 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Available at: http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/119/2/e21. Accessed: May 14, 2009. 3. Mendelsohn ME, Karas RH. Mechanisms of disease: the protective effects of estrogen on the cardiovascular system. N Engl J Med. 1999;340:1801-1811. 4. About.com. Top 10 high blood pressure risk factors. Available at: http://highbloodpressure.about.com/od/understandyourrisk/tp/risk_tp.htm. Accessed November 12, 2008. 5. National Institutes of Health. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure. May 2003. NIH Publication No. 03-5232. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/hbp/hdrf.htm. Accessed November 12, 2008. 6. Barsky AK. Psychiatric and behavioral aspects of cardiovascular disease. In: Zipes DP, Libby P, Bonow RO, Braunwald E, eds. Braunwald’s Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2005: 2129-2144. 7. Mayoclinic.com. High blood pressure (hypertension). Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/DS00100/DSECTION=symptoms. Accessed November 12, 2008. 8. Familydoctor.org. High blood pressure: things you can do to lower yours. Available at: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/heartdisease/risk/092/html. Accessed November 12, 2008.
