There are certain risk factors involved in developing High Blood Pressure, and dealing with those risk factors can help us reverse it .

Here are some of the factors:

1. Age:- it’s been discovered that as we grow older, the risk increases . Research reveals that it’s more common in men from age 64 and from age 65 in women . It’s then imperative that as we grow older , we monitor our blood pressure
2. Family History : this usually plays a key role in most chronic diseases and hypertension is one of those diseases that run in families . The risk is higher if many close family members have it . It’s worth looking out for your numbers if this runs in your family
3. Ethnicity : it’s usually more common in people with the African heritage than among the Caucasians . As a pharmacist who worked in the UK, I discovered that doctors had to combine 3 or more different drugs when treating it in Africans when compared to Caucasians . Also Africans tend to develop it at an earlier age
4. Obesity or being Overweight: this is not only a risk factor for high blood pressure but is also for most chronic diseases. The more weight we carry, the more the demand made on the blood in blood vessels to supply oxygen and nutrients to our tissues . This then puts more pressure on the walls of arteries
5. Lack of Physical Activity: A sedentary lifestyle or lack of physical activity can lead to weight gain and as stated above puts pressure on the heart and arteries hence raising blood pressure
6. High Sodium Diet :causes fluid retention in the body and then this increases volume of blood in our blood vessels . This then puts pressure on the CVS and the blood pressure
7. Stress : We all suffer stress in our lives at different times but when it becomes chronic , it can become a risk factor for developing high blood pressure and other illnesses like diabetes, kidney disease etc
8. Chronic Health Conditions : such as Diabetes Mellitus, metabolic syndrome and chronic kidney disease can increase the disk of hypertension
9. Vision and Hearing Problems: now this may shock you but these conditions an indirectly contribute to stress and anxiety which then leads to high blood pressure . Anything that increases stress that’s chronic will raise our blood pressure

Watch this space next week for part 2 of this post