Modern lifestyle brings many health-related dangers and high blood pressure is one of the ailments that are closely related with our high-speed interaction with the world. High blood pressure or hypertension is a miss balance in the amount of pressure that blood makes on blood vessels, causing the heart to expend additional effort to pump blood through the organism. If this state is not alleviated, it can contribute to eventual development of serious cardiovascular problems and perhaps even heart failure. However, prevention of this disease is complicated since high blood pressure cause is not a single issue, but rather entails multiple risk factors.

Some of the risk is hereditary in this case, since certain people have a more pronounced tendency to develop the condition. History of high blood pressure and similar health problems in the family should be taken as a sign that such a possibility is on the table and that additional tests need to be administered. In addition to genetics, old age is another high blood pressure cause that can’t be directly controlled, as older people suffer from this condition more frequently. However there are many others risk factors that depend exclusively on patient’s behavior, and that’s why many doctors believe high blood pressure is largely preventable with a proper daily routine and a healthy diet.

Tobacco and alcohol increase the risk of blood vessel constriction and contribute to the possibility of high blood pressure, especially when they are consumed regularly and in large doses. Unbalanced diet that features excessive amounts of salt or fat is just as dangerous while overweight people are far more likely to fall victim to this modern plague. Women who take birth control pills based on estrogen are also subjected to increased risks, as well as women in the advanced stages of pregnancy. It is impossible to say with any certainty which factor will actually be the primary one, but when genetic disposition is combined with one or more “lifestyle” factors there is high potential for disaster. It is important to keep your body in normal condition by exercising and engaging in physical activity, as fit body decreases the likelihood that blood pressure will be raised to dangerous levels.

There is one particularly sneaky high blood pressure cause that can go on for years unnoticed – stress. Our psychological system reacts on stress and transmits it onto the body where it can do a lot of damage if left unattended for a while. Reducing stress while maintaining a normal lifestyle is something that’s much easier said than done, but individuals who carry some genetic risk or have already exhibited first signs of trouble have no choice but to try it. This is especially mandatory for men over the age of 35 and women over 65, who are more vulnerable to high blood pressure than other age groups. First symptoms of high blood pressure don’t have to be a cause for major alarm, but it is necessary to visit a physician and check whether further measures would be necessary.