Your doctor can help you prevent high blood pressure or, at minimum, treat it at an earlier stage when it' s easier to manage. The lowdown on high blood pressure Blood pressure is the force of the flowing blood against the walls of the arteries. Elevated blood pressure means your heart is working harder than normal, putting both your heart and arteries under a greater strain. As many as 50 million Americans either have high blood pressure or are taking high blood pressure medication. In secondary hypertension, a disease or other physical problem is behind the disease.
Common causes are kidney or thyroid disease.
Many factors are associated with high blood pressure, including genetics, age, race, stress, obesity, smoking, a high-salt diet, smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, and a sedentary lifestyle. High blood pressure can develop over many years with no noticeable symptoms. That's why regular blood pressure checks are so important. Only when high blood pressure is severe do symptoms appear. Warning signs can include nosebleeds, racing or irregular heartbeat, headaches, and dizziness.