With almost half of adults in the USA dealing with high blood pressure, we should question what causes these adults to develop this condition that can lead to serious health issues.
High blood pressure may have little to no symptoms and often goes unnoticed. Unfortunately, the consequences can be tremendous if your blood pressure skyrockets or is left untreated. Luckily, you can easily receive medical care in Edinburg and have your blood pressure checked.
What Causes High Blood Pressure?
The causes of high blood pressure depend on the type you have. Primary hypertension doesn’t have a known cause and, unfortunately, it progresses moderately over years.
People with secondary hypertension are prone to having higher blood pressure than those who developed primary hypertension. Secondary hypertension sometimes stems from a pre-existing medical issue.
Numerous ailments and medicines can cause high blood pressure to emerge. Some of the causes include:
- Sleep apnea
- Kidney disease
- Tumors in the adrenal glands
- Issues with thyroid
- Birth defects in blood vessels
- Medications such as cold medicines and decongestants, pain relievers, birth control, and other prescription medicines
- Drug usage of cocaine and amphetamines
What Are the Risk Factors of Having High Blood Pressure?
There is a great deal of risk factors that can lead to high blood pressure, including:
- Your age is directly correlated with the risk of elevated blood pressure. The older you get, the higher the chances of developing high blood pressure.
- Your race has a role in high blood pressure. People of African heritage have a larger risk of developing high blood pressure at an earlier age, and often develop more serious cases that cause heart attacks, strokes, and heart disease.
- Your family’s history can be an indication of the likelihood of developing high blood pressure.
- Obesity can cause high blood pressure because you need an increase in blood flow to provide oxygen to your brain and nutrients to your body. The increase in blood can damage the wall of your arteries.
- The absence of physical activity makes your heart work harder and can increase your chances of being overweight.
- Using tobacco immediately causes your blood pressure to rise and destructs your artery lining.
- Consuming excessive amounts of sodium causes your body to bloat, which can lead to high blood pressure.
- Excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages damages your heart and other organs, and can have negative effects on your blood pressure.
- Constant stress can cause your blood pressure to rise