Drink more than a moderate amount of alcohol.Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives greatly increase their risk. In some studies, stress, anger, hostility, and other personality traits have been shown to lead to high blood pressure. Blood vessels become more brittle with age and are not as flexible. Are a man, but women are at an increased risk after age 55.(Learn More American Heart Association, CDC ) African Americans develop high blood pressure more often than whites, and it tends to happen earlier in life and be more severe. Have a family history of high blood pressure.That means the real cause of the high blood pressure is not known, but a number of factors contribute. This condition, called retinopathy, can lead to blindness.Ībout 90% to 95% of all high blood pressure cases are what is called primary, or essential hypertension. Eye damage. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure can cause the tiny capillaries in the retina of your eye to bleed.Kidney damage. Prolonged high blood pressure can damage your kidneys if their blood supply is affected.

Without treatment, your heart failure will only get worse. As a result, you feel weak and tired and are not able to exercise or perform physical activities. The bigger your heart is, the more it demands oxygen-rich blood but the less able it is to maintain proper blood flow. Like any heavily exercised muscle in your body, your heart grows bigger (enlarges) to handle the extra workload. Enlarged heart. High blood pressure increases the amount of work for your heart.

A heart attack or stroke can occur if a blood clot blocks blood flow to your heart or brain.

Hardening of the arteries. Pressure inside your arteries can cause the muscles that line the walls of the arteries to thicken, thus narrowing the passage.

High blood pressure can affect your health in four main ways:

As these arterioles tighten (or constrict), your heart has to work harder to pump blood through the smaller space, and the pressure inside the vessels grows. Arterioles regulate the blood flow through your body. High blood pressure results from the tightening of very small arteries called arterioles. The moving blood pushes against the arterial walls, and this force is measured as blood pressure. Your heart pumps blood through a network of arteries, veins, and capillaries.

Blood pressure pdf chart