Hypertension is the condition of having high blood pressure and affects about 50 million Americans, many of whom have yet to be diagnosed. Here are some reasons behind its occurrence:

Obesity
It has been stated that the risk of hypertension is about five times higher in obese people as compared to those having normal body weight. A definitive link between obesity and hypertension has been found using animal and clinical studies. It has been shown that many mechanisms are potential causes of obesity induced hypertension. Diet and exercise can help offset obesity.

Age
Hypertension is also related to age. As age increases, the arteries or blood vessels tend to stiffen in our bodies which leads to a reduction in vascular compliance. There is experimental evidence that suggests that renal microvascular disease is an important mechanism for inducing salt-sensitive hypertension.

Role of Sodium or Salt

It has been shown that approximately one-third of the population is sensitive to sodium intake. An increased amount of salt in a person's bloodstream causes cells to release water (due to osmotic pressure) to equilibrate the concentration gradient between the cells and the bloodstream, thereby increasing the pressure within the blood vessel walls. This leads to concentrated urine and accumulation of water inside the kidneys, causing hypertension.

Arteriosclerosis

Hypertension is recognized as a risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis. Come to the risk factor hypertension or obesity (severe overweight) and another risk factor - such as diabetes mellitus (diabetes) or dyslipidemia (elevated cholesterol -- or LDL values) -- added, there is a significantly increased risk later in life to a heart -- to suffer cardiovascular disease.

In addition to the factors mentioned above genetics, high amount of stress and an intake of drugs and/or alcohol can lead to hypertension. Hypertension is a complex condition and much of research is going on to find out the exact reasons behind this grave disease.

Warning Signs Of Hypertension

In most cases, there are no clear warning signs of high blood pressure, but blood pressure can become dangerously high and threaten your organs and your life.

Headaches that return frequently, even when medication is taken to relieve the pain, can be a clear symptom of hypertension. An increase in blood flow to the head causes a strain on the blood vessels in the brain, which cause headaches that just do not go away with simple pain relievers.

Vision changes are also caused by the increase in blood flow in the head area. While blood increases in the vessels, the blood vessels constrict, causing blurriness, white spots, and other vision changes.

As more blood is running through the body at a higher rate, the heart is working at double capacity. When the heart is over-worked a person will feel palpitations due to the heart pumping out more blood than normal.