When this force, or pressure, is consistently high, you have high blood pressure , or hypertension. Hypertension can be controlled but not cured. Cause Blood pressure rises and falls with every beat of the heart .
Maximum pressure is exerted when the heart contracts and pumps blood into the arteries .
Blood pressure lowers to its minimum when the heart rests between contractions. Physicians are unable to determine an underlying cause for most cases of high blood pressure. Kidney disease, hormone disorders, pregnancy, and certain medications such as birth control pills or cortisone are some of the causes. Incidence and risk factors About 50 million Americans, or one out of five people, have high blood pressure. African-Americans are twice as likely to develop hypertension as others.