While high blood pressure or hypertension is usually found in older patients, it may also affect teens and young people. Among younger people, high blood pressure is frequently caused by family history, unhealthy lifestyle, and some other medical problems.
If the patient suffers from persistent high blood pressure, it can put additional load on the heart and vessels. At the same time, it may influence the work of kidneys and other organs as well. Nowadays, there are a lot of new scientific findings which state that high blood pressure among younger people may contribute to their heart and kidney problems in the future.
Knowing the high blood pressure causes among young people helps make early diagnoses possible.
What Is High Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps. When this pressure stays higher than the healthy range, it is called hypertension.
According to the Heart Association guideline, a reading of 130 to 139 mm Hg systolic or 80 to 89 mm Hg diastolic falls within stage 1 hypertension, while 140/90 mm Hg or higher falls within stage 2 hypertension. Diagnosis should be based on properly measured and repeated readings rather than a single unusual reading.
What Causes High Blood Pressure at a Young Age?
There is not always one clear cause of hypertension. Some young adults develop primary hypertension, where no single underlying disease can be identified. Others may have secondary hypertension, which develops because of another health condition or medication.
1. Unhealthy Diet
Consuming too many salty foods, junk foods, fast foods, sugar-laden foods and saturated fats may raise your risk of developing hypertension. The body retains fluid when there is too much salt in the body, which raises blood pressure.
Lifestyle and dietary choices when you are in college or at work may include frequent consumption of packaged snack foods, instant foods and meals from restaurants. This can be detrimental to the health of your heart and metabolism.
2. Being Overweight or Obese
Excess body weight can increase the workload on the heart and circulatory system. It is also associated with a higher risk of conditions such as diabetes and high BP causes.
Weight gain does not mean that a person will definitely develop hypertension, but maintaining a healthy weight can reduce one important risk factor.
3. Lack of Physical Activity
Sitting for long hours, lack of physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle can predispose one to hypertension. Physical activity helps promote proper functioning of the heart and blood vessels. Adolescents who engage in studying and sitting at the computer or desk throughout the day may be engaging in minimal physical activity without knowing it.
4. Chronic Stress
Job pressure, schoolwork, financial troubles, and personal issues may lead to chronic stress. While stress is not a primary cause of chronic hypertension, chronic stress tends to increase blood pressure levels and also promote unhealthy behaviours such as overeating, smoking, drinking alcohol, and being inactive. Thus, learning better coping mechanisms for stress management would help in blood pressure control.
5. Smoking and Tobacco Use
Smoking and tobacco use can temporarily raise blood pressure and damage blood vessels. Continued tobacco exposure also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
6. Alcohol and Stimulants
Consistent consumption of alcohol in large quantities may raise blood pressure. There are some stimulants and drugs that can lead to elevated levels of blood pressure as well.
Certain energy drinks and beverages that contain large amounts of caffeine can elevate blood pressure for some individuals. If there are recurrent high blood pressure readings associated with their use, consulting a doctor would be wise.
Medical Causes of High Blood Pressure in Young Adults
Lifestyle is not always responsible for hypertension at a young age. When high blood pressure develops suddenly, is unusually severe or occurs without common hypertension risk factors, doctors may look for an underlying medical cause.
1. Kidney Problems
Kidneys have an important role in controlling the fluids and sodium in our bodies. Diseases of the kidney can lead to high blood pressure. Sometimes, high blood pressure may cause damage to the kidneys.
2. Thyroid and Hormonal Problems
Hypertension that is secondary to any thyroid disorder or disease, or any disease of the adrenal or other endocrine glands, may occur due to many hormonal disorders such as hypersecretion of aldosterone or cortisol.
3. Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnoea can contribute to high blood pressure. Loud snoring, pauses in breathing during sleep, waking up gasping and excessive daytime tiredness can be warning signs that need medical evaluation.
4. Certain Medicines
Some medicines can raise blood pressure in certain people. These may include some birth control pills, pain relievers, decongestants and other prescription medicines. Certain supplements can also affect blood pressure.
Therefore, it is important to tell your doctor about all medicines, supplements and over-the-counter products you use.
5. Genetics and Family History
Family history is an equally significant aspect. When one has a close family member suffering from hypertension, he or she may be at a greater risk of suffering from this condition as well. However, there is an interaction between genes and environmental issues, so family history is not synonymous with developing hypertension.
What Can Help Manage High Blood Pressure?
The method will depend upon the exact reason for the hypertension. Some of the ways that can help include:
Cutting down excess intake of salt and refined foods
Increasing the intake of vegetables, fruits, and other nutritious food
Maintaining a healthy body weight
Physical activity
Adequate sleep
No smoking
Restricting the intake of alcohol
Handling stress
Medications as per doctor’s advice
When Should You See a Doctor?
High blood pressure often causes no obvious symptoms, even when readings are significantly elevated. Therefore, headaches or dizziness are not reliable signs that someone has hypertension. Regular checks on the blood pressure level are necessary, especially in cases where there is a family history or hypertension risk factors.
Hypertension that occurs suddenly before 30 years old, extremely high blood pressure or one that does not respond to drugs needs to be checked out for secondary causes.
When the blood pressure level exceeds 180/120 mm Hg, accompanied by symptoms like chest pain, difficulty breathing, weakness, blurring vision or slurred speech, urgent attention is needed.
Conclusion
Knowledge about the high blood pressure causes at a young age will be helpful in conducting a proper evaluation and management of the situation. In addition to making some healthy lifestyle modifications, it is also important to have proper medical guidance to find out the actual cause behind the condition. At Jeena Sikho HiiMS Lucknow, one can have a consultation under the VOPD regarding their blood pressure levels and overall health.
FAQs
1. Why do young adults get high blood pressure?
There are many factors such as poor diet, overweight, laziness, stress, sleep deprivation, genetic predisposition and some other diseases.
2. Can stress lead to high blood pressure?
Stress, if it is chronic, may be a factor in hypertension and unhealthy lifestyles.
3. Can kidney disorders cause high blood pressure?
Yes, kidneys have a lot of functions, including those related to regulating fluid balance and sodium levels.
4. Can high blood pressure have no symptoms at all?
There are no specific symptoms for high blood pressure, which is why it is important to check your pressure from time to time.
5. Do young people suffer from high blood pressure?
High blood pressure is not an age-related problem, and it is possible among young adults as well.
