Causes Of High Blood Pressure

For years scientists have been looking for the definitive causes of high blood pressure without success. Many factors can influence high blood pressure - salt, potassium, anxiety, hormone levels, etc. The problem is that heredity is such a wild card in attempting to determine any direct causal link between any one variable and high blood pressure. The obvious conclusion is that there are multiple causes of high blood pressure.

In almost 9 out of 10 cases of high blood pressure the causes of high blood pressure are not able to be traced and millions of people have been known to have high blood pressure for years and not even know it.  High blood pressure over years, when it goes untreated, can cause damage to your internal organs and can even develop into a fatal condition.  Your risk of stroke, and even heart attack, are greatly increased with untreated high blood pressure.  

Many people mistakenly believe that a low pulse rate and high blood pressure are incompatible. But they're not. A low pulse rate can be caused by any number of things.

So what are the causes of high blood pressure in the 1 out of 10 people that can be traced to a cause?  Let's take a look at just some of the causes of high blood pressure.

One of the newest theories about the causes of high blood pressure has to do with the brain.  In 2007 a group of British research scientists released the results of an experiment they did to try and determine the causes of high blood pressure and they have determined that a defect in a protein located in the brain of lab rats caused the area of the brain that regulates blood pressure in the body to be blocked and this caused high blood pressure in the rats.  While conditions of the heart certainly cannot be eliminated as potential causes of high blood pressure, it is fascinating to see scientific analysis that leads to the brain as a possible cause of high blood pressure as well.

Pregnancy - a Little Known Cause of High Blood Pressure

One of the more known causes of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, in women is called hypertension of pregnancy.  Science has been able to link pregnancy to the development of hypertension in approximately 1 out of every 10 pregnant women.  If untreated it can have devastating effects on the pregnancy and cause complications for the mother.  It can, however, be treated and your doctor should be able to help prescribe a successful plan for dealing with hypertension of pregnancy.  Unfortunately the doctor cannot help prevent the inevitable high blood pressure that kids can cause after they are born.

Another commonly known cause of high blood pressure is the narrowing, or widening, of the arteries surrounding the heart.  These conditions require slightly more complicated tests to determine exactly what is going on and, in some cases, surgery may be required to correct the situation.  What ever course of action your doctor recommends it is a good idea to listen to your doctor and take the treatment of your high blood pressure very seriously.

How To Lower High Blood Pressure
For most people, learning how to lower high blood pressure involves changing their lifestyle. It can be hard at first but with perseverance your "new" lifestyle will become habit.

Lower Blood Pressure Without Drugs
Studies have proven that it is possible to attain lower blood pressure without drugs. In fact some of the more homeopathic oriented doctors try to do that before they begin prescribing high blood pressure medicines.

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