03/07/2020
*Hypertension*
*can lead to damaged organs, as well as several illnesses, such as renal failure (kidney failure), aneurysm, heart failure, stroke, or heart attack.* Researchers from UC Davis reported in the Journal of the American Academy of Neurology that high blood pressure during middle age may raise the risk of cognitive decline later in life.
*The normal level for blood pressure is below 120/80, where 120 represents the systolic measurement (peak pressure in the arteries) and 80 represents the diastolic measurement (minimum pressure in the arteries).*
Blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 is called prehypertension (to denote increased risk of hypertension), and a blood pressure of 140/90 or above is considered hypertension.
*Hypertension may be classified as essential or secondary.* Essential hypertension is the term for high blood pressure with unknown cause. It accounts for about 95% of cases. Secondary hypertension is the term for high blood pressure with a known direct cause, such as kidney disease, tumors, or birth control pills.
*About 95 in 100 people with high blood pressure have primary hypertension.* This means there is no single cause, but *various lifestyle factors can contribute,* including:
**smoking
**obesity (being very overweight)
**drinking alcohol excessively β especially if you binge drink
lack of exercise
your diet, particularly salt intake
*NB//* If someone else in your family has high blood pressure, you also have a higher risk of developing it