high blood pressure facts
Health

High Blood Pressure Facts You Need to Know

Last year right around the time I left for a big trip with World Vision Canada I got a high blood pressure reading. It was the first time ever and I figured it was a one off. Away I went on the amazing trip, and when I returned, I had another reading done a few months later. Still, it was high.

Fast forward two months after that high blood pressure reading. As I often do, I tackled the issue with diet and exercise and it came down a bit. I thought I was managing beautifully. But tackling this health issue was harder than I ever imagined and so I set about trying to uncover all the high blood pressure facts I could find.

 

high blood pressure
Illustration of cardiogram of fighting heart of man

I am continuing with my diet and exercise approach, hoping also to lose a few pounds and see if that will help. At the same time, I am researching more information about high blood pressure so that I can tackle this and advocate with my doctor if need be.

High blood pressure impacts a lot of people so here are the high blood pressure facts you should know.

5 High Blood Pressure Facts You Should Know

High blood pressure can be a killer. It directly affects a variety of deadly diseases, so it’s important to know high blood pressure facts to educate yourself. I’ve put together a list of high blood pressure facts that can help you get a better understanding of this deadly condition.

Know These High Blood Pressure Facts

High blood pressure is no joke. And since we don’t know the exact cause of it, it’s important to know all of the facts, so you can better guard against it and/or treat it with a doctor’s supervision.

Causes

One of the most important high blood pressure facts to know is what causes it. Although, as I said, the exact cause of high blood pressure is unknown, there are several things that have been clinically shown to drastically increase the risk of high blood pressure including:

  • Smoking
  • Obesity
  • Lack of exercise
  • High salt intake
  • High alcohol consumption
  • Stress
  • Aging
  • Genetics
  • Family history
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Adrenal and thyroid disorders

While you can’t really guard against genetics or a family history of high blood pressure, all of the other known risk factors can certainly be remedied. (I have the family history. I also am 45 so I guess that’s the aging part and I had high salt intake, but I eliminated that back in October. As for the other factors, I have none of them. I rarely drink and I exercise a lot, but have a sedentary job.)

Signs and Symptoms

This is a sobering addition to my high blood pressure facts list. By and large, high blood pressure has no warning signs or symptoms. Most people don’t even realize they have high blood pressure. That’s why it’s so important to go for yearly physicals. This is the time when your blood pressure will be checked, and you may find that you have high blood pressure.

What Makes it so Important

It’s important to know your high blood pressure facts, because it is associated with so many terrible, organ crippling diseases. High blood pressure has been strongly linked with a number of potentially deadly conditions such as:

  • Heart Attack: 70% of people who have their first heart attack also have high blood pressure.
  • Stroke: 80% of people who have their first stroke also have high blood pressure.
  • Chronic Heart Failure: 70% of people with chronic heart failure have high blood pressure.
  • Kidney Disease: High blood pressure is a major, major risk factor in developing kidney disease.

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Age and Ethnicity

Age and ethnicity play a major role in the development of high blood pressure. That’s why it’s so important to know high blood pressure facts. High blood pressure can vary significantly across age ranges and ethnic backgrounds.

  • Age: Starting around 45, both men and women see a significantly higher percentage of high blood pressure in the population. The highest instance is in those 75 and older.
  • Ethnicity: Across all ethnicities, black people have by far the highest percentage of high blood pressure, followed by hispanics, and then whites.

Prevention

Perhaps the most important of my high blood pressure facts is prevention. Almost all of the risk factors for high blood pressure can either be avoided or mitigated by us.

Eat a healthy diet full of whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. Keep your salt intake reasonable, don’t drink to excess, and exercise. In addition, limit read meat, and increase your intake of healthy fats from sources such as nuts, avocados, and cold water fish.

Protect You and Your Family with These High Blood Pressure Facts

High blood pressure shouldn’t be taken lightly, so it’s important to know your high blood pressure facts. Knowing these facts will help you avoid or mitigate your high blood pressure risk factors. If you’re already on a high blood pressure medication, reducing the contributing factors to high blood pressure can only help you. So know your high blood pressure facts, and keep yourself healthy and happy!

 

Mom of two beautiful active girls, traveller, fitness junkie, social media consultant, and keeper of the sanity.

12 Comments

  • Kerri

    High blood pressure can be scary. A few people in my family take medication. I just turned 40 this year and I am trying to get back on my health kick since this is one of the things that runs in my family. Just today, after an 8 month hiatus, I returned to walking around the park . I did a half hour and hoping to build it back up. Every little bit helps!

  • Joanne T Ferguson

    They truly say that high blood pressure is a silent killer as most people don’t get their levels checked until it is too late in my opinion.
    High blood pressure can cause so many destructive things within the body!
    I always believe in life prevention and medical prevention about the nasties!

  • tammileetips

    As we have gotten older John and I have been working hard at being more aware of health problems. We have bene changing up our diet for a healthier lifestyle and to reduce our risk of heart disease. This is a great resource of information!

  • Nicci

    It is so important to stay healthy, and all those healthy behaviors will help manage blood pressure. My blood pressure was only an issue when I was pregnant with my son. It would be high one minute, and then normal 10 minutes later. My doctor speculated it might have been the extreme heat wave in Texas, but she monitored me closely for the health of the baby too. That was the first time I realized that blood pressure was important to track. Luckily, I have not had any issue with it since then.

  • Melissa

    M blood pressure goes up whenever I think about the different factors that cause high blood pressure. I worry because my family is guilty of a lot of the things that cause high blood pressure. I hope we can all get a little healthier and not ahve to worry about this terrible health problem anymore. Thanks for sharing!

    • Paula

      Melissa: I can completely relate to that! LOL. Anytime I start worrying about high blood pressure and other factors that are stressing me I see a jump in my blood pressure.

  • lauriel

    I’m sorry to hear about your personal challenges with high blood pressure (and I can totally understand how children can only add to that 😉 ), but I want to thank you for writing such a great post with detailed facts about high blood pressure, from what causes it, to how to help prevent it. There have been a few cases of high blood pressure in my family, so I’m quite careful with my health… Here’s hoping that we all have long, healthy, happy, and relaxing (when we can 🙂 ) lives!

    xo,
    lauriel
    EyeForElegance.com

  • Yona Williams

    Scary stuff. My mother has high blood pressure, and takes medication for it. I am thankful that I haven’t had that passed down onto me. Some doctors thought that I had high blood pressure because every time I would come in to see them, I’d be extremely anxious and have high readings. I once had to keep a log for weeks at home to prove it to them, so now they just call it ‘white coat syndrome.’

  • Melissa

    Thank you for sharing these facts on blood pressure readings. I too had a false reading that made my Dr concerned. I purchased a blood pressure monitor and realized I have White Code when I went to the Dr. It was scary though. Thanks for helping spread awareness.

  • Krystal

    We have a history of high blood pressure in our families so this is important to know. Some of my family members are on medications. I am trying to watch what I eat and make sure I exercise so that I can avoid some of these risks. Prevention is important.

  • Adanna

    I try to keep my blood pressure in a normal range by avoiding triggers, diet and exercise. I’m glad that going into my 30s I figured out some stress relief methods thats working for me to be less reactive and not letting any and every little thing affect my blood pressure levels.