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Controllable Risk Factors
Currently, we don't know why most cases of high blood pressure occur.
That means it's hard to say how to prevent it. On the bright side, we
do know of several factors that may contribute to high blood pressure
and put us at increased risk for heart attack and stroke. These include:
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Obesity. People
with a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 or higher are more likely to
develop high blood pressure.
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Salt. Eating too much salt has been
shown to increase blood pressure in some people.
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Alcohol. Beware of drinking too
much alcohol. Heavy and regular use of alcohol can increase blood
pressure dramatically.
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Lack of Physical Activity. An inactive
lifestyle makes it easier to become overweight and increases the chance
of high blood pressure.
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Stress. This
is often mentioned as a risk factor, but stress levels are hard to
measure, and responses to stress vary from person to person. |
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Uncontrollable Risk
Factors
As with heart attack and stroke, there are just some things that we can't
control. But, by doing the things we can to reduce our risks, we'll be
ahead of the game.
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Race. African Americans develop
high blood pressure more often than whites, and it tends to occur
earlier and be more severe.
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Heredity. If our parents or other
close blood relatives have high blood pressure, we're more likely
to develop it.
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Age. In general, the older you get,
the greater your chance of developing high blood pressure. It occurs
most often in people over age 35. Men seem to develop it most often
between age 35 and 55. Women are more likely to develop it after menopause.
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