Genetics

Hypertension tends to run in families. If your parents, grandparents, and siblings have or had it, this raises your risk.

Lifestyle

• Smoking—Smoking causes blood vessels to narrow. This makes your BP higher. Smoking is something that's done more than once. Over time, it damages blood vessels.
• Salt intake—Too much salt causes the body to hold onto water. The fluid moves through the bloodstream. It causes more pressure on the walls of the arteries.
• Alcohol intake—Alcohol causes problems with nervous system and blood vessels. This causes your BP to go up.
• Lack of exercise—Not getting exercise is linked to other unhealthy habits such as eating poorly or gaining weight. These can influence your BP risk.
• Stress—Hormones released by your body when you are under stress can raise your BP. This may be more of a problem for people who have a high risk for hypertension.

Medical Conditions

Certain health problems can make it harder for the blood to move through the body. This makes the heart work harder to pump blood. Over time, this can lead to hypertension. Some of these are:

• Obesity
• Glucose intolerance or diabetes
• Metabolic syndrome—A problem that causes raised BP, cholesterol, blood glucose, and weight. If weight is centered around the midsection, it's more of a problem.
• Sleep apnea—Breathing stops for brief periods of time while you are sleeping.
• Kidney disease
• Hormonal disorders
• Panic disorder

Preeclampsia is a rise in BP while you’re pregnant. In most cases, BP comes down after the baby's birth. But having had it does make the risk of getting hypertension higher.

Certain Medicines

Some medicines cause blood vessels to narrow, which makes your BP rise. Over time, this makes your risk of hypertension higher. Some of these are:

• Birth control pills—This is more common if you:
  • Have a family history
  • Have kidney disease
  • Are overweight
  • Had preeclampsia
• Other medicines—Certain medicines make your risk higher, or they can make the medicines you take to lower your BP not work as they should. These may be:
  • Steroids
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as naproxen and ibuprofen
  • Decongestants
  • Diet pills
  • Antidepressants