Heredity is another risk factor. People whose parents have high blood pressure are more likely to get it. African-Americans are also more likely to have hypertension than whites. A woman is more likely to have hypertension if she is taking oral contraceptives and is over weight, had hypertension during a pregnancy, has a family history of the condition or has mild kidney disease. Please take this one fact with you if you forget every thing else.
People can have it for years without knowing it, while it continues to do damage.
For those of us with diabetes who have risk factors for long term complications which are the same as those for hypertension, it becomes mandatory that we keep our blood pressure at a normal level. We all know that just having diabetes makes us more prone to hypertension, so do make sure your physician watches you for any signs. Early detection makes all the difference. This is not a disease to take lightly.