Blood pressure is the pressure that the blood puts on the walls of the arteries, as it travels along the body. Arteries are the vessels through which the blood moves from the heart to all parts of the body (arms, legs, brain, kidneys, liver, and all the other organs and tissues). Hypertension or “high arterial blood pressure” means that the pressure the blood puts on the walls of the arteries as it travels along the arterial system, is higher than normal. Genetic background (hypertension in the parents) and environmental factors, such as increased body weight and increased salt consumption, predispose to its evolution.