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Causes Of High Blood Pressure - WebMD
Several things can play a role in high blood pressure, including diet and exercise or having a family history of high blood pressure. Your doctor will determine which type of hypertension you have based on the underlying cause. (Photo credit: iStock/Getty Images)
Blood pressure is the measure of the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. The heart pumps blood into blood vessels, which carry the blood throughout the body.
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, means your heart is working harder to pump blood out to the body. It's a dangerous condition and contributes to hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, stroke, kidney disease, and heart failure.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects nearly half of adults in the U.S. Because it usually doesn't make you feel sick, many people are surprised to hear that they have it.
However, high blood pressure can have a big impact on your health, so it is important to understand what it is, what causes it, and how you can lower it.
A blood pressure reading is written like this: 120/80. It's read as "120 over 80." It is measured in mmHg, which is a unit that doctors use to describe pressure. This is like how you use inches to describe length.
The top number of the reading is called the systolic pressure, and the bottom number is called the diastolic pressure. The systolic number measures your blood pressure at the exact moment your heart beats. Meanwhile, the diastolic number measures your blood pressure between each heartbeat.
The ranges are:
If even one of the numbers is in the hypertension range, you have it. For example, someone with a blood pressure of 133/79 has stage 1 hypertension.
If your blood pressure is above the normal range, talk to your doctor about how to lower it. Call 911 if you're having a hypertensive crisis.
Your blood pressure depends on how much blood your heart pumps and how difficult it is for your blood to flow through your arteries. Things that affect either of these factors, such as being dehydrated or having narrow arteries, can impact your blood pressure.
Several things may play a role in causing high blood pressure. Depending on what is causing your high blood pressure, your doctor will determine which type of hypertension you have: primary (or essential) or secondary. You can have one or both types.
Essential hypertension
When there isn't an obvious cause of high blood pressure, it is called primary (or essential) hypertension. In the U.S., 19 out of 20 people with high blood pressure have this type of hypertension. It often takes many years to develop.
Essential hypertension has been linked to certain risk factors in your diet and lifestyle. For example, eating a lot of salt can cause your blood pressure to rise. Many people with this condition are sensitive to salt, so even eating a small amount can trigger a spike in blood pressure.
Other risk factors that can raise the risk of having essential hypertension include:
Secondary hypertension
When a direct cause for high blood pressure can be identified, the condition is described as secondary hypertension. This type of high blood pressure is caused by a different health condition. It is usually more sudden and severe than essential hypertension. Some causes include:
Pregnancy
Sometimes, hypertension suddenly appears or gets worse during pregnancy. When hypertension develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy, it is called preeclampsia.
It is important to keep an eye on your blood pressure because it can have a big impact on you and your baby. Both high blood pressure and preeclampsia can cause problems such as:
Talk with your doctor about how to best monitor your blood pressure during pregnancy. Watch out for symptoms including headaches, vision problems, stomachache, nausea, and shortness of breath. These are signs of preeclampsia. Your doctor also can test for other signs of preeclampsia, such as having too much protein in your pee.
If you have high blood pressure or preeclampsia during pregnancy, it is very important to treat it. Your doctor can prescribe blood pressure medications that are safe for pregnant people. They also might recommend lifestyle changes such as regular activity and a healthy diet.
Causes of sudden high blood pressure
It is normal for your blood pressure to go up and down throughout the day. Many things can temporarily raise blood pressure. For example, your blood pressure might rise after a stressful event, smoking, or drinking alcohol.
But when your blood pressure rises too much, it can be a medical emergency. This is called a hypertensive crisis. It happens when your blood pressure is higher than 180 mmHg/higher than 120 mmHg. It can cause symptoms such as:
If you think you are having a hypertensive crisis, call 911 right away.
There are several risk factors for high blood pressure, including:
There are many different causes of high blood pressure. Some risk factors, such as your age and family history, are things that you cannot change. However, many healthy habits, including eating a low-salt diet and getting regular exercise, can help lower your blood pressure. Talk with your doctor about how to manage your blood pressure and whether medication might help.
How do you feel when your blood pressure is high? High blood pressure usually doesn't cause any obvious symptoms. Many people with high blood pressure feel fine, so they might not even realize they have it. However, if your blood pressure is very high (180 mmHg or above/120 mmHg or above), you might have heart palpitations, chest pain, dizziness, headaches, or other symptoms. These are signs of a hypertensive crisis, which is a medical emergency. If you think you are having a hypertensive crisis, call 911 immediately.
How do I lower my high blood pressure?
There are many healthy habits that can help lower your blood pressure. You can try:
Some people might also need medication to control their blood pressure. Ask your doctor if medication might be right for you.
What is stroke-level blood pressure? High blood pressure is the biggest risk factor for strokes. In general, to lower your risk for stroke, try to keep your blood pressure under control. A hypertensive crisis (blood pressure of 180/120 mmHg or higher) can cause an immediate stroke.
What is the normal blood pressure level by age? As you get older, your blood pressure tends to get higher. This is because arteries tend to become stiff and collect plaque over time. If you are over 50 years old, it is especially important to pay attention to your blood pressure. The ranges for healthy and unhealthy blood pressure are the same for all adult age groups.
Deadly High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy Is On The Rise
In August, Mary Collins and daughter Rory were both still recovering after Collins experienced severe high blood pressure in her pregnancy, which led to Rory's premature delivery. Thom Bridge for KFF Health News hide caption
toggle caption Thom Bridge for KFF Health NewsSara McGinnis was nine months pregnant with her second child and something felt off. Her body was swollen. She was tired and dizzy.
Her husband, Bradley McGinnis, said she had told her doctor and nurses about her symptoms and even went to the emergency room when they worsened. But, Bradley said, what his wife was told in response was, "'It's summertime and you're pregnant.' That haunts me."
Two days later, Sara had a massive stroke followed by a seizure. It happened on the way to the hospital, where she was headed again due to a splitting headache.
Sponsor MessageSara, from Kalispell, Mont., never met her son, Owen, who survived through an emergency delivery and has her oval eyes and thick dark hair. She died the day after he was born.
Sara had eclampsia, a sometimes deadly pregnancy complication caused by persistent high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. High blood pressure makes the heart work in overdrive, which can damage organs.
Sara died in 2018. Today, more pregnant women are being diagnosed with dangerously high blood pressure, a finding that could save their lives. Recent studies show the rates of newly developed and chronic maternal high blood pressure have roughly doubled since 2007. Researchers say the jump in cases is likely due in part to more testing that discovers the conditions.
But that's not the whole story. Data shows that the overall maternal mortality rate in the U.S. Is also climbing, with high blood pressure one of the leading causes.
A new thresholdMedical experts are trying to stem the tide. In 2022, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists lowered the threshold for when doctors should treat pregnant and postpartum patients for high blood pressure. And federal agencies offer training in best practices for screening and care. Federal data shows that maternal deaths from high blood pressure declined in Alaska and West Virginia after implementation of those guidelines. But applying those standards to everyday care takes time, and hospitals are still working to incorporate practices that might have saved Sara's life.
Mary Collins does not have some of the risk factors for preeclampsia, such as being over 35 or being overweight. Doctors and researchers are not sure of all the reasons that high blood pressure during pregnancy is becoming more common. Thom Bridge for KFF Health News hide caption
toggle caption Thom Bridge for KFF Health NewsIn Montana, which last year became one of 35 states to implement the federal patient safety guidelines, more than two-thirds of hospitals provided patients with timely care, said Annie Glover, a senior research scientist with the Montana Perinatal Quality Collaborative. Starting in 2022, just over half of hospitals met that threshold.
"It just takes some time in a hospital to implement a change," Glover said.
"A natural stress test"High blood pressure can damage a person's eyes, lungs, kidneys, or heart, with consequences long after pregnancy. Preeclampsia — consistent high blood pressure in pregnancy — can also lead to a heart attack. The problem can develop from inherited or lifestyle factors: For example, being overweight predisposes people to high blood pressure. So does older age, and more people are having babies later in life.
Black and Indigenous people are far more likely to develop and die from high blood pressure in pregnancy than the general population.
"Pregnancy is a natural stress test," said Natalie Cameron, a physician and an epidemiologist with Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, who has studied the rise in high blood pressure diagnoses. "It's unmasking this risk that was there all the time."
But pregnant people who don't fit the typical risk profile are also getting sick, and Cameron said more research is needed to understand why.
Mary Collins, 31, of Helena, Mont., developed high blood pressure while pregnant this year. Halfway through her pregnancy, Collins still hiked and attended strength training classes. Yet, she felt sluggish and was gaining weight too rapidly while her baby's growth slowed drastically.
Collins said she was diagnosed with preeclampsia after she asked an obstetrician about her symptoms. Just before that, she said, the doctor had said all was going well as he checked her baby's development.
"He pulled up my blood pressure readings, did a physical assessment, and just looked at me," Collins said. "He was like, 'Actually, I'll take back what I said. I can easily guarantee that you'll be diagnosed with preeclampsia during this pregnancy, and you should buy life flight insurance.'"
Indeed, Collins was airlifted to Missoula, Mont., for the delivery and her daughter, Rory, was born two months early. The baby had to spend 45 days in a neonatal intensive care unit. Both Rory, now about 3 months old, and Collins are still recovering.
Sponsor MessageThe typical cure for preeclampsia is delivering the baby. Medication can help prevent seizures and speed up the baby's growth to shorten pregnancy if the health of the mother or fetus warrants a premature delivery. In rare cases, preeclampsia can develop soon after delivery, a condition researchers still don't fully understand.
Wanda Nicholson, chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts in disease prevention, said steady monitoring is needed during and after a pregnancy to truly protect patients. Blood pressure "can change in a matter of days, or in a 24-hour period," Nicholson said.
And symptoms aren't always clear-cut.
That was the case for Emma Trotter. Days after she had her first child in 2020 in San Francisco, she felt her heartbeat slow. Trotter said she called her doctor and a nurse helpline and both told her she could go to an emergency room if she was worried but advised her that it wasn't needed. So she stayed home.
In 2022, about four days after she delivered her second child, her heart slowed again. That time, the care team in her new home of Missoula checked her vitals. Her blood pressure was so high the nurse thought the monitor was broken.
"You could have a stroke at any second," Trotter recalled her midwife telling her before sending her to the hospital.
Trotter was due to have her third child in September, and her doctors planned to send her and the new baby home with a blood pressure monitor.
Measuring the problemMore monitoring could help with complex maternal health problems, said Stephanie Leonard, an epidemiologist at Stanford University School of Medicine who studies high blood pressure in pregnancy.
"Blood pressure is one component that we could really have an impact on," she said. "It's measurable. It's treatable."
Sponsor MessageMore monitoring has long been the goal. In 2015, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration worked with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to roll out best practices to make birth safer, including a specific guide to scan for and treat high blood pressure. Last year, the federal government boosted funding for such efforts to expand implementation of those guides.
"So much of the disparity in this space is about women's voices not being heard," said Carole Johnson, head of the health resources agency.
Mary Collins and her daughter, Rory. Despite years of federal efforts to make birth safer, hospitals are still trying to match screening and treatment for preeclampsia with best practices. Thom Bridge for KFF Health News hide caption
toggle caption Thom Bridge for KFF Health NewsThe Montana Perinatal Quality Collaborative spent a year providing that high blood pressure training to hospitals across the state. In doing so, Melissa Wolf, the head of women's services at Bozeman Health, said her hospital system learned that doctors' use of its treatment plan for high blood pressure in pregnancy was "hit or miss." Even how nurses checked pregnant patients' blood pressure varied.
"We just assumed everyone knew how to take a blood pressure," Wolf said.
Now, Bozeman Health is tracking treatment with the goal that any pregnant person with high blood pressure receives appropriate care within an hour. Posters dot the hospitals' clinic walls and bathroom doors listing the warning signs for preeclampsia. Patients are discharged with a list of red flags to watch for.
Katlin Tonkin is one of the nurses training Montana medical providers on how to make birth safer. She knows how important it is from experience: In 2018, Tonkin was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia when she was 36 weeks pregnant, weeks after she had developed symptoms. Her emergency delivery came too late and her son Dawson, who hadn't been getting enough oxygen, died soon after his birth.
Tonkin has since had two more sons, both born healthy, and she keeps photos of Dawson, taken during his short life, throughout her family's home.
Sponsor Message"I wish I knew then what I know now," Tonkin said. "We have the current evidence-based practices. We just need to make sure that they're in place."
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF.
This 105-calorie Snack Can Help Lower Your Blood Pressure - New York Post
Salt-a-bration time!
You've probably heard that a high-sodium diet can raise your blood pressure, which increases your risk of heart disease.
But a new study out of Canada has made a fruitful discovery — increasing your intake of certain potassium-rich foods may have a greater impact on blood pressure regulation than cutting back on salt.
A new study suggests increasing your intake of certain potassium-rich foods may have a greater impact on blood pressure regulation than cutting back on salt. Angelina Zinovieva – stock.Adobe.ComOne standout option? Bananas.
"Usually, when we have high blood pressure, we are advised to eat less salt," said Anita Layton, a professor of applied mathematics, computer science, pharmacy and biology at the University of Waterloo.
"Our research suggests that adding more potassium-rich foods to your diet, such as bananas or broccoli, might have a greater positive impact on your blood pressure than just cutting sodium."
While previous research has highlighted the benefits of potassium on blood pressure, this study employed a mathematical model to analyze how the ratio of potassium to sodium affects blood pressure.
It also explored sex differences, finding that men are more prone to high blood pressure than pre-menopausal women but may have an even better response to increased potassium intake.
"Early humans ate lots of fruits and vegetables, and as a result, our body's regulatory systems may have evolved to work best with a high-potassium, low-sodium diet," said lead study author Melissa Stadt, a PhD candidate in Waterloo's Department of Applied Mathematics.
"Today, Western diets tend to be much higher in sodium and lower in potassium. That may explain why high blood pressure is found mainly in industrialized societies, not in isolated societies."
The study also found men are more prone to high blood pressure than pre-menopausal women but may have an even better response to increased potassium intake. Wutzkoh – stock.Adobe.ComWhile bananas might be the unsung heroes of hypertension — their health benefits don't end there.
Bananas are also rich in fiber, which aids digestion and supports regular bowel movements. They're packed with vitamin B6 and tryptophan, which can enhance mood, brain health and the nervous system.
Their natural sugars and carbohydrates provide a quick energy boost — at only 105 calories per snack.
This sweet superfood is rich in fiber and other nutrients. Yaruniv-Studio – stock.Adobe.ComTheir potassium-rich content makes them one of the best foods to get over a hangover, as well as a great way to replenish electrolytes after a sweaty workout.
And — as bizarre as it sounds — people are even rubbing banana peels on their faces to reap the all-natural, glowing benefits of a "banana peel scrub."
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