The Problem

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, affects millions -- even children and teens. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one-third of adults in the United States—about 67 million people—have hypertension. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, impaired vision, and kidney disease. Generally, the higher the blood pressure, the greater the risk. Untreated hypertension affects all organ systems and can shorten one's life expectancy by 10 to 20 years.

Why is hypertension prevention important?

High blood pressure (hypertension) puts extra strain on your heart and blood vessels. If untreated, over time this extra pressure can increase your risk of a heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and vascular dementia. High blood pressure can cause many different diseases of the heart and blood vessels (medically known as cardiovascular diseases), including:

• Stroke – when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off
• Heart attack – when the supply of blood to the heart is suddenly blocked
• Embolism – when a blood clot or air bubble blocks the flow of blood in a vessel
• Aneurysm – when a blood vessel wall bursts causing internal bleeding
• Vascular dementia – when blood flow to the brain is reduced, causing parts of the brain to become damaged

High blood pressure can also damage the small blood vessels in your kidneys and stop them from working properly. Mild to moderate chronic kidney disease does not usually cause any symptoms. Kidney disease may need treatment with a combination of medication and dietary changes. More serious cases may require dialysis (a treatment where waste products are artificially removed from the body) or a kidney transplant.

Signs and symptoms of hypertension

In some rare cases, where a person has very high blood pressure, they can experience symptoms, including:

• Persistent headache
• Blurred or double vision
• Nosebleeds
• Shortness of breath

Known Causes

Factors that can raise your risk of developing primary hypertension include:

• Age – the risk of developing high blood pressure increases as you get older
• Family history of high blood pressure (the condition seems to run in families)
• High amount of salt in your food
• Lack of exercise
• Being overweight or obese
• Smoking
• Drinking large amounts of alcohol

Resources:
http://www.cdc.gov/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertension#Primary_hypertension
http://www.nhs.uk/