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Hypertension is another name for high blood pressure. It can lead to severe health complications and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and sometimes death.

Blood pressure is the force that a person’s blood exerts against the walls of their blood vessels. This pressure depends on the resistance of the blood vessels and how hard the heart has to work.

Almost half of all adultsTrusted Source in the United States have high blood pressure, but many are not aware of this fact.

Hypertension is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and aneurysm. Keeping blood pressure under control is vital for preserving health and reducing the risk of these dangerous conditions.

In this article, we explain why blood pressure can increase, how to monitor it, and ways to keep it within a normal range.

Management and treatment

Lifestyle adjustments are the standard, first-line treatment for hypertension. We outline some recommendations here:

Current guidelines recommend that all people, including those with hypertension, engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity, aerobic exercise every week, or 75 minutes a week of high intensity exercise.

People should exercise on at least 5 days of the week.

Examples of suitable activities are walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming.

Avoiding or learning to manage stress can help a person control blood pressure.

Meditation, warm baths, yoga, and simply going on long walks are relaxation techniques that can help relieve stress.

People should avoid consuming alcohol, recreational drugs, tobacco, and junk food to cope with stress, as these can contribute to elevated blood pressure and the complications of hypertension.

Smoking can increase blood pressure. Avoiding or quitting smoking reduces the risk of hypertension, serious heart conditions, and other health issues.

People can use specific medications to treat hypertension. Doctors will often recommend a low dose at first. Antihypertensive medications will usually only have minor side effects.

Eventually, people with hypertension will need to combine two or more drugs to manage their blood pressure.

Medications for hypertension include:

  • diuretics, including thiazides, chlorthalidone, and indapamide
  • beta-blockers and alpha-blockers
  • calcium-channel blockers
  • central agonists
  • peripheral adrenergic inhibitor
  • vasodilators
  • angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
  • angiotensin receptor blockers

The choice of medication depends on the individual and any underlying medical conditions they may experience.

Anyone on antihypertensive medications should carefully read the labels of any over-the-counter (OTC) drugs they may also take, such as decongestants. These OTC drugs may interact with the medications they are taking to lower their blood pressure.

Diet

People can prevent high blood pressure by following a heart-healthy diet.

People’s average salt intake is between 9 grams (g) and 12 g per day in most countries around the world.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommend reducing intake to under 5 gTrusted Source a day to help decrease the risk of hypertension and related health problems.

Lowering salt intake can benefit people both with and without hypertension.

Moderate to excessive alcohol consumption can increase blood pressure.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommend a maximum of two alcoholic drinksTrusted Source a day for men, and one for women.

The following would count as one drink:

  • a 12-ounce (oz) bottle of beer
  • 4 oz of wine
  • 1.5 oz of 80-proof spirits
  • 1 oz of 100-proof spirits

A healthcare provider can help people reduce consumption if they find it difficult to moderate their alcohol intake.

People who have high blood pressure or people at high risk of developing high blood pressure should eat as little saturated and total fat as possible.

Instead, experts recommend:

  • whole grain, high fiber foods
  • a variety of fruit and vegetables
  • beans, pulses, and nuts
  • fish rich in omega-3 twice a week
  • nontropical vegetable oils, for example, olive oil
  • skinless poultry and fish
  • low fat dairy products

It is important to avoidTrusted Source trans fats, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and animal fats, as well as large portion sizes.

Some fats, such as those in oily fish and olive oil, have protective effects on the heart. However, these are still fats. While they are typically healthful, people with a risk of hypertension should still include them in their total fat intake.

Excess body weight can contribute to hypertension. A fall in blood pressure usually follows weight loss, as the heart does not have to work so hard to pump blood around the body.

A balanced diet with a calorie intake that matches the individual’s size, sex, and activity level will help.

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommend the DASH dietTrusted Source for people with high blood pressure. DASH stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.”

DASH is a flexible and balanced eating plan with a firm grounding in research by the NHLBI who advise that the diet:

  • lowers high blood pressure
  • improves levels of fats in the bloodstream
  • reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease

The NHLBI produce a cookbook called Keep the Beat Recipes that provides meal ideas to help reduce blood pressure.

Research from 2014Trusted Source suggests that using probiotic supplements for 8 weeks or more may benefit people with hypertension.

Causes

The cause of hypertension is often not known. In many cases, it is the result of an underlying condition.

Doctors call high blood pressure that is not due to another condition or disease primary or essential hypertension.

If an underlying condition is the cause of increasing blood pressure, doctors call this secondary hypertension.

Primary hypertension can result from multiple factors, including:

  • blood plasma volume
  • hormone activity in people who manage blood volume and pressure using medication
  • environmental factors, such as stress and lack of exercise

Secondary hypertension has specific causes and is a complication of another health problem.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common cause of high blood pressure, as the kidneys no longer filter out fluid. This excess fluid leads to hypertension.

Conditions that can lead to hypertension include:

  • diabetes, due to kidney problems and nerve damage
  • kidney disease
  • pheochromocytoma, a rare cancer of an adrenal gland
  • Cushing syndrome that corticosteroid drugs can cause
  • congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a disorder of the cortisol-secreting adrenal glands
  • hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid gland
  • hyperparathyroidism, which affects calcium and phosphorous levels
  • pregnancy
  • sleep apnea
  • obesity

A number of factors increase the risk of hypertension.

  • Age: Hypertension is more common in people who are more than 60 years of age. Blood pressure can increase steadily with age as the arteries stiffen and narrow due to plaque buildup.
  • Ethnicity: Some ethnic groups are more prone to hypertension than others. African Americans have a higher riskTrusted Source than other ethnic groups, for example. · Size and weight: Being overweight or obese is a primary risk factor.
  • Alcohol and tobacco use: Regularly consuming large quantities of alcohol or tobacco can increase blood pressure.
  • Sex: According to a 2018 reviewTrusted Source, males have a higher risk of developing hypertension than females. However, this is only until after women reach menopause.
  • Existing health conditions: Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and high cholesterol levels can lead to hypertension, especially as people age.

Other risk factors include:

  • sedentary lifestyle
  • salt rich, high fat diet
  • low potassium intake

Poorly managed stress and a family history of high blood pressure can also contribute to the risk of developing hypertension.

Below is a 3-D model of hypertension, which is fully interactive.

Explore the model using your mouse pad or touchscreen to understand more about hypertension.

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