Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. The heart pumps blood into the arteries or blood vessels, which carry the blood throughout the body.  High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body.  It also can contribute to hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis and the development of heart failure.

The exact causes of high blood pressure are not known; however, there are many factors that can lead to it.

Several factors and conditions have been shown to lead to high blood pressure.  These can include:

•    Smoking
•    Being overweight or obese
•    Lack of physical activity
•    Too much salt in the diet
•    Too much alcohol consumption (more than 1 to 2 drinks per day)
•    Stress
•    Older age
•    Genetics
•    Family history of high blood pressure
•    Chronic kidney disease
•    Adrenal and thyroid disorders

In as many as 95% of the reported high blood pressure cases in the United States, the underlying cause cannot be determined. This type of high blood pressure is called essential hypertension.

While essential hypertension remains somewhat mysterious, it has been linked to certain risk factors. High blood pressure tends to run in families and is more likely to affect men than women. Age and race can also play a role.
In fact, in the United States, African Americans are twice as likely as Caucasians to have high blood pressure until about age 44.  After age 65, black women have the highest incidence of high blood pressure.

Essential hypertension is also greatly influenced by diet and lifestyle. The link between salt and high blood pressure is an important factor.  One recent Japanese study has shown that individuals living on the northern islands of Japan eat more salt per capita than anyone else in the world and have the highest incidence of essential hypertension.  By contrast, people who add no salt to their food show virtually no traces of essential hypertension.

Incidentally, a majority of people who have high blood pressure are considered salt sensitive, which means that anything more than the minimal bodily need for salt is too much for them and increases their blood pressure.