Causes of High Blood Pressure

What is high blood pressure? What are its causes? Read on to find the answers.

Blood circulating through the human body, exerts a certain amount of pressure on the walls of the blood vessels. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a condition wherein there is a rise in the pressure that blood exerts on the blood vessels, specifically on the arteries. What causes hypertension? Let us find out.

Causes of High Blood Pressure

A family history of hypertension is cited as one of the main causes of high blood pressure for e.g. inheriting abnormalities of the sympathetic nervous system can lead to hypertension.

Besides the genetic causes, obesity disorders, lack of regular exercise and an unbalanced diet are the other major causes of high blood pressure. Obese people are at 5 times higher risk of high blood pressure. Ageing too is a contributing factor to high blood pressure. With ascending age, blood vessels become begin to lose their elasticity and become stiff, leading to hypertension.

Smoking and drinking are some of the common causes of hypertension. Smoking injures the walls of blood vessels and eventually leads to hardening of the arteries. People who frequently indulge in drinking, are also at a higher risk of developing high blood pressure.

An excessive intake of sodium is known to cause high blood pressure. The release of salts into the bloodstream causes the blood vessels to release water in order to balance the salt gradient. In this process, the pressure on the walls of the blood vessels increases, leading to high blood pressure.

Diabetes is closely related to hypertension. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels. Insulin resistance is known to increase arterial blood pressure in some patients. Patients of Type 2 diabetes are seen having higher levels of insulin, which their body is unable to utilize, resulting in a condition known as insulin resistance.

High blood pressure is associated with certain kidney diseases. Diseases that affect the renal arteries can lead to hypertension.

People suffering from the Cushing’s syndrome have high blood pressure. Cushing's syndrome is an endocrine disorder that results from high levels of cortisol in the blood. Cortisol increases blood pressure, and thus an increase in cortisol levels can lead to hypertension.

Some women develop high blood pressure during pregnancy. About 25% of the women develop hypertension during their first pregnancy. The cause for high blood pressure during pregnancy is not clearly known.

Liquorice extract is a common ingredient of many cough syrups. The consumption of large doses of glycyrrhetinic acid and glycyrrhizinic acid contained in liquorice extract can lead to high blood pressure. Also, the consumption of other medicines such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and steroids can cause hypertension. A sudden withdrawal from antihypertensive drugs, can result in rebound hypertension. The risk of rebound hypertension can be reduced by gradually reducing the dose of antihypertensive medicines.

In many cases, the exact cause of high blood pressure is unknown. It is considered to be a combination of environmental, genetic and other factors. It is best to remain away from the known causes, take due precautions and maintain good health. After all precaution is better than cure.