High blood pressure (hypertension)
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the artery walls. Arteries are the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
Some pressure in the arteries is necessary to keep blood moving. But if your blood pressure stays higher than recommended over time, it raises your risk of cardiovascular diseases like stroke or heart attack. High blood pressure (or hypertension) is usually diagnosed if your blood pressure is regularly above 140/90 mmHg.
Common Symptoms
Symptom information is not available for this condition yet.
⚠️ This symptom list is for educational purposes. Having these symptoms does not mean you have this condition. See a doctor for proper diagnosis.
Medicines Commonly Used
⚠️ These medicines are commonly used for confirmed diagnoses of this condition. This is NOT a recommendation or prescription. Treatment must be determined by your doctor.
No medicines have been linked to this condition yet.
Causes
High blood pressure may be more likely if you:
- eat a lot of fatty food
- eat a lot of salty food
- don't get much exercise
- are overweight
- smoke
- drink too much alcohol
- are under a lot of stress
- take certain recreational drugs
- are getting older, since the risk rises with age
- have a family history of high blood pressure
- are of Afro-Caribbean or South Asian background
In some cases, a specific cause can be found, such as:
- kidney disease
- diabetes
- hormonal conditions, like Cushing's syndrome, where the body makes too many steroid hormones
- obstructive sleep apnoea
- certain herbal remedies
- certain medicines, such as oral contraceptives
About 1 in 10 women develop high blood pressure during pregnancy. It may already have been diagnosed before pregnancy, or it may be picked up for the first time while pregnant.
Find out more about blood pressure and planning your pregnancy.
If you think your medicine might be affecting your blood pressure, talk to a healthcare professional about it.
Treatment
High blood pressure is often treated with more than one medicine at a time, alongside the healthy lifestyle changes already mentioned.
The medicines most commonly used are:
- ACE inhibitors, such as ramipril
- calcium channel blockers, such as amlodipine
- thiazide diuretics, such as bendroflumethazide
- alpha blockers, such as doxazosin
- beta blockers, such as atenolol
Many people need to take this kind of medicine for life. Even so, your blood pressure and how you're responding to treatment should be checked regularly over time.
Risks of high blood pressure
Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to serious problems, including:
- stroke
- heart attack
- arterial thrombosis
- abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)
- kidney disease
- vascular dementia