What Causes High Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure tends to rise with age, unless you
take steps to prevent or control it.
Certain medical problems, such as chronic kidney
disease, thyroid disease, and
sleep
apnea, may cause blood pressure to rise. Certain medicines, such as asthma
medicines (for example, corticosteroids) and cold-relief products, also may
raise blood pressure.
In some women, blood pressure can go up if they use
birth control pills, become pregnant, or take hormone replacement therapy.
Women taking birth control pills usually have a
small rise in both systolic and diastolic blood pressures. If you already have
high blood pressure (HBP) and want to use birth control pills, make sure your
doctor knows about your HBP. Talk to him or her about how often you should have
your blood pressure checked and how to control it while taking the pill.
Taking hormones to reduce the symptoms of menopause
can cause a small rise in systolic blood pressure. If you already have HBP and
want to start using hormones, talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits.
If you decide to take hormones, find out how to control your blood pressure and
how often you should have it checked.
Children younger than 10 years who have HBP often
have another condition that's causing it (such as kidney disease). Treating the
underlying condition may resolve the HBP.
The older a child is when HBP is diagnosed, the more
likely he or she is to have essential hypertension. This means that doctors
don't know what's causing the HBP. |