Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps it around the body. If the pressure in the blood vessels is too high, it forces the heart to pump harder to push blood through the body. High blood pressure can damage vital organs such as the heart, brain, kidneys, and arteries in other parts of the body. High blood pressure and kidney disease are closely related. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to kidney damage and is an important cause of kidney failure in Australia. On the other hand, many kidney problems can cause high blood pressure. Sometimes, correcting the kidney problem may eliminate high blood pressure. High blood pressure also speeds up the formation of cholesterol deposits in blood vessels. This causes them to become blocked. Blocked vessels in the heart can lead to a heart attack, in the brain to a stroke, and in the legs, to gangrene.

What causes high blood pressure?
Many different diseases may cause high blood pressure. However, 90 per cent of the time, no cause is identified. Some, or a combination of the following factors, can affect blood pressure.
• Increasing age
• A family history of high blood pressure
• Obesity
• Lack of exercise
• Smoking
• Taking the oral contraceptive pill
• Certain medications (ask your doctor)
• Stress
Precaution to be taken:
1. Talk with your health care professional. Ask what your blood pressure numbers are and ask what they mean.Take medication as prescribed. If you need medication, make sure you understand what it’s for and how and when to take it, then take it as your doctor recommends.
3. Lose weight if you are overweight and maintain a healthy weight. Limit portion sizes, especially of high calorie foods, and try to eat only as many calories as you burn each day—or less if you want to lose weight.
4. Eat heart healthfully. Follow an eating plan that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and lowfat dairy products and is moderate in total fat and low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
5. Reduce salt and sodium intake. Read food labels to choose canned, processed, and convenience foods that are lower in sodium. Limit sodium intake to no more than 2,400 mg, or about 1 teaspoon’s worth, of salt each day. Avoid fast foods that are high in salt and sodium.
6. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. For men, that means a maximum of 2 drinks a day, for women, a maximum of 1.
7. Become more physically active.
8. Quit smoking. Smoking increases your chances of developing a stroke, heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, and several forms of cancer.

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