Why Do Some Young Underweight Active People Suffer From High Blood Pressure?

Hypertension

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a condition marked by diastolic (resting) blood pressure above 90 beats per minute (bpm) or systolic (pumping) blood pressure above 140 bpm. Over time, high blood pressure can lead to atherosclerosis (hardened arteries), aneurysm (burst blood vessel), stroke, heart failure, kidney damage and blindness. It is usually treated by a combination of dietary change, exercise and medication.

General Risk Factors

High blood pressure is more common among older people. This may be a combination of other factors. African Americans tend to be more at risk and at an earlier age. More effective kidneys, better absorption of potassium, the ability to fight plaque buildup in the arteries and various other factors that reduce risk may be genetic, as high blood pressure seems to cluster in families. Overweight people have more tissue for the blood to feed, so the pressure of all that additional blood can overtax artery walls. Inactive people's heart rate tends to be higher, so that increases pressure on the artery walls, too.

Specific Risk Factors

If you are young, active and your weight is average to low, you can still be at risk for high blood pressure from a variety of causes. If you smoke, chemicals in the tobacco can damage artery walls so they narrow, increasing blood pressure because there is less space for the blood. The sodium from salt in your diet makes your blood thicker and also swells the artery walls, so it can have a profound effect on blood pressure. Potassium helps regulate the amount of sodium in your cells, and if you do not get enough of it, more of the sodium leaves your cells and enters the blood. If you drink alcohol, two or three drinks can temporarily raise your blood pressure because alcohol works your heart harder, and over time that can increase blood pressure. Similarly, stress can affect anyone, and though the blood pressure increase you get from the adrenaline of a single stressful event may be temporary, chronic stress can weaken your heart and arteries over time.

References

• Mayo Clinic