Hypertension (High Blood Pressure): Causes & Symptoms

Blood pressure is the force of the blood against the blood vessels. The normal blood pressure for an adult is 120/80 mmHg.

Any deviation from this is considered as unhealthy. A decrease in blood pressure is called hypotension, whereas an increase is called hypertension.

Hypertension is again further classified into different stages based on the measurement.

To prevent the occurrence of hypertension, it is important to know the causes. Knowing the symptoms of hypertension is also equally important for an early diagnosis.

If diagnosed at the starting stage, hypertension can be managed by minor changes in the lifestyle and food habits.

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There are many known causes for hypertension like stress, fried food, lack of exercise, age, race and secondary diseases like kidney diseases.

Unfortunately, hypertension will not come out with notable symptoms till it is very high. So, it is important to get monthly or yearly checkup to make sure that you don't have it.

Most of the symptoms fall in the general category and we overlook them. The intensity of symptoms will vary according to the severity of hypertension. If you are at a risk of getting high blood pressure, watch for these symptoms.

With the World Hypertension Day around, we will be explaining about the major causes and symptoms of hypertension.

Causes Of Hypertension:

1. Weight

Overweight or obesity is closely associated with the onset of increased blood pressure. It is important to maintain a healthy weight to manage hypertension. Obesity and hypertension together will increase the risk of heart diseases.

2. Age

Age is another major one among the causes of hypertension. As the age increases, there will be anatomical changes in the blood vessels. This will increase the blood pressure. Usually, age-related hypertension is difficult to identify with symptoms as there will not be any presentable symptoms.

3. Smoking

One of the most common causes of increased blood pressure is smoking. Smoking will cause the blood vessels to narrow down and will reduce the availability of oxygen in the body. This forces the heart to pump more intensely. These two factors together contribute for high blood pressure. Palpitation and fatigue are the main symptoms in this case.

4. High-fat Diet

Your diet and lifestyle will affect the blood pressure. Apart from the amount of fat that you consume, the type of fat will also matter. Foods that contain a high amount of saturated fat is dangerous for you.

5. Excess Sodium Intake

Taking too much of salt has direct link with increased blood pressure. Salt will cause more water to get absorbed into the blood stream. This will cause an increase in blood pressure. It is important to reduce the intake of salt and baked products.

Symptoms Of Hypertension:

1. Headache
Headache is a common symptom that is closely associated with hypertension. Most people with high blood pressure complain of constant headaches.

2. Palpitation

Decreased oxygen supply will cause the heart to work extra. This, along with increased blood pressure, will cause palpitation. Palpitation is the irregular and forceful beating of the heart.

3. Dizziness

When you have hypertension, chances are more that you will experience dizziness. This is presented as light headedness and unsteadiness. In advanced stages, this can cause vertigo.

4. Double Vision

In advanced stages of hypertension, there will diplopia. Diplopia is the condition where you will see a thing as double. Hypertension will also cause blurred vision, which will occur when the measurements are very high.

5. Nausea And Vomiting

One of the most common symptoms of hypertension is nausea and vomiting. This will be generally presented in combination with headaches. The degree at which symptoms are presented will vary from person to person.