Hypertension Neutral Bay, Sydney NSW

Hypertension has several risk factors that include:

• Stress can increase your blood pressure temporarily. Stress-related habits lead to further increases in blood pressure. These include stress-eating, tobacco usage (smoking, second-hand smoke, chewing, etc.) and excessive alcohol consumption.
• Age and gender. The risk of high blood pressure increases as you age. Men are more likely to have high blood pressure until about 64. After 65, women are more likely to develop high blood pressure.
• Sometimes, pregnancy can contribute to high blood pressure.
• High Cholesterol. Cholesterol in your bloodstream means that the heart has to work harder to pump blood.
• Hypertension is more common among people of African descent. It often develops at an earlier age compared to people of European descent. Unfortunately, serious complications are also more common in people of African descent. These complications include stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.
• Family history. Hypertension tends to run in the family.
• Being overweight. The heavier you are, the more blood you need to supply oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. As the amount of blood flow increases, so does the pressure on your artery walls.
• Not being physically active. Generally, people who are inactive tend to have higher resting heart rates. Additionally, being physically inactive increases the risk of being overweight.
• Tobacco usage. Smoking or chewing tobacco immediately raises your blood pressure temporarily and the chemicals in tobacco may also damage your artery walls. Second-hand smoke is also likely to increase your heart disease risk.
• Too much salt in your diet. This is likely to cause your body to retain fluid which will increase your blood pressure.
• Not enough potassium in your diet. Potassium helps to balance the amount of sodium in your cells which is critical for good heart health.
• Excessive alcohol consumption. This will damage your heart and affect blood pressure.
• Chronic conditions. Certain chronic conditions may also increase the risk of hypertension. Some examples include kidney disease, diabetes and sleep apnoea.

Excessive pressure on your arteries can be very dangerous and damage your organs. The longer your blood pressure is high, the greater the potential damage. Some of the complications may include: heart disease, heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, heart failure, kidney damage, vision loss, diabetes, metabolic issues, cognitive function issues and dementia.

Primary hypertension tends to develop gradually over many years causing blood pressure to increase. Unfortunately, for most adults, there is no single identifiable cause of high blood pressure as there may be many contributing factors over the years including smoking, family history, being overweight and having an unhealthy diet.

Secondary hypertension is caused by an underlying condition. That is, as a result of an underlying condition, you may experience very high blood pressure compared to primary hypertension. Conditions, medications and substances that can lead to secondary hypertension may include: kidney disease, thyroid issues, adrenal gland tumours, blood vessel defects, cocaine, amphetamines, birth control pills, cold and flu medication, decongestants, pain relievers and prescription drugs.