There are risk factors that increase your chances of developing High Blood Pressure. Some you can control, and some you cannot.
Risks you can control:
- Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke
- Diabetes
- Being obese or overweight
- High cholesterol
- Unhealthy diet (high in sodium, low in potassium, and drinking too much alcohol)
- Physical inactivity
Other Risks:
- Getting older
- Being African American
- Having family members with high blood pressure
- Having kidney failure, diabetes, or some types of heart disease
- Having a lot of stress
