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Making Sense of Risk Factors

A wide variety of things can increase or decrease your risk for developing high blood pressure or for experiencing other high blood pressure related problems. To understand your risk, things like family history, diet, exercise level, other laboratory tests, smoking status, and overall health must be considered.
Controllable Risk Factors

High blood pressure has many different risk factors, and not all of them can be controlled. While family history and age both play an important role in the potential for developing high blood pressure, there isn't anything you can do to change your genetic background or how old you are. F…

Ethnicity & High Blood Pressure
The contribution of ethnic background to the development of high blood pressure is a still evolving topic that is the focus of intense research. Does ethnic background influence high blood pressure risk? Can this risk be changed? Discover the answers to these important questions and learn about the long term influence of ethnicity on the risk of developing high blood pressure.
Top 10 High Blood Pressure Risk Factors
An important step in understanding and evaluating your risk of developing high blood pressure is to know what elements contribute to this risk.
Age & High Blood Pressure
Older people tend to have more high blood pressure than younger people. Does this mean that age is a risk factor for high blood pressure? Discover the answer to this question, as well as tips for maintaining blood pressure health later in life.
Can Medications Raise Blood Pressure?
Some medicines can increase blood pressure and make it more difficult to control. People who are taking oral medicines should be aware of their potential effects on blood pressure and should discuss these medicines with their doctor.
Making Sense of Family History
There are different types of family history, and each one has a different meaning for your individual risk profile. Learn about the different kinds of family history and how to give your doctor complete information, even if he doesn't ask.
Is Salt an Important High Blood Pressure Risk Factor?
The link between salt and high blood pressure is one of the most commonly referenced in the popular media, but is this justified? Learn how salt can contribute to high blood pressure, and understand what the scientific literature actually says about salt.

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