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	What is Hypertension?
—	Normal Blood Pressure
—	Causes of High Blood Pressure
—	Family History and Hypertension
—	Women and High Blood Pressure
—	Health Issues of Hypertension
—	Hypertension in Children and Teenagers
	Controlling High Blood Pressure
	Hypertension Treatment

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Family History, Genetics and Hypertension

You can change your life, but you can't change your genes. Family history and genetics do have roles in hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Those with a family history of high blood pressure are much more likely to develop it than others. Children in families prone to high blood pressure usually have slightly elevated blood pressure.

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Looking at Your Family History

Determining if your family has a history of hypertension can be difficult, however, because it often remains undiagnosed. You may have to do a little detective work. Ask yourself the following questions. If the answer to any of them is "yes," you may have a family history of hypertension:

Do you have a family history of cardiovascular disease?
Have any relatives experienced a stroke or stroke symptoms?
Do you have a family history of diabetes?
Do any family members suffer from high cholesterol?
Does the family's lifestyle predispose it to hypertension?

Stroke symptoms can be subtle, but recognizing the signs early enough is essential. The sooner medical attention is given the greater the chances that some of the damage done can be repaired. Stroke symptoms include:

numbness of the face and extremities, especially on one side of the body
sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
blurry vision or loss of sight
severe headaches for no reason
falling or dizziness.

Stroke symptoms usually occur suddenly, coming on in a few minutes to an hour, depending on the location and type of stroke.

Genetics and Hypertension

Genetic factors may contribute to an estimated thirty percent of cases of essential hypertension (high blood pressure of unknown cause). In the United States, high blood pressure occurs more frequently among African Americans than among white or Asian Americans. Adult African American men are most at risk for developing hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. The reason remains unknown, especially since non-American adult African men have very low occurrences of hypertension.

A large percentage of people with essential hypertension have genetic abnormalities of their peripheral arteries (arterioles) — the small arteries that supply blood to the body's tissues. This genetic abnormality makes the walls of the arteries stiff so there is greater resistance to the blood flowing through them.

Other Contributing Factors

Other than family history, there are some other causes of hypertension over which patients have little control:

The older you get, the greater the likelihood that you will develop hypertension. This is due to arteriosclerosis (hardening of arteries). People inclined to hypertension usually begin showing symptoms in their early thirties.
Men have a higher chance of developing high blood pressure than women until the age of 55. However, over the age of 60, women are more likely to develop high blood pressure.
Pregnancy can be associated with hypertension. High blood pressure during pregnancy is one of the symptoms of apotentially dangerous condition called pre-eclampsia.

Resources

MedicineNet.com (nd). High blood pressure (hypertension).

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. (nd). High blood pressure. NHLBI Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure.

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