Causes of Hypertension Archives - High Blood Pressure Be Gone

Is High Blood Pressure Hereditary?

Word map image credit: Science Daily

Ever wondered why you have high blood pressure but your friend / girlfriend / boyfriend doesn’t? Despite they fact they smoke like chimneys, rarely get off the couch, and subsist on a diet of junk food? Is high blood pressure hereditary, you ask yourself? And why have I got all the bad luck?

Well, for some people their high blood pressure is likely to be due to genetic factors. However, high blood pressure has many causes – and many remedies. So even if your own case of high blood pressure is largely hereditary, there’s still plenty you can do about it. Read on.

Genetic influences on high blood pressure

What causes high blood pressure can be a complex affair. Many things such as aspects of our diets, our activity levels, our stress levels, our age, our weight, can have an effect. And even in one individual, high blood pressure can be caused by a complex combination of factors.

Nonetheless, as many of us have noticed, high blood pressure does sometimes run in families. Until fairly recently, the specifics of this have been poorly understood. However, scientists now pinning down more and more of the genes responsible for hereditary high blood pressure.

How is high blood pressure hereditary?

Scientists are finding that specific genes are strongly associated with the development of high blood pressure. That’s not to say that having these genes on their own is enough to cause high blood pressure. But if you get these genes passed on to you by your parents, then they make you more at risk of developing high blood pressure.

So far scientists have identified almost one hundred sections of the genetic code which affect blood pressure. Some of these genes make people more susceptible to high blood pressure. Each has different effects on the body and circulatory system. Some affect the way the kidneys regulate fluids and salt (e.g., if the kidneys retain too much salt and water then blood volume, and blood pressure, is increased). Others affect the way the blood vessels themselves regulate blood pressure (e.g., through the production of nitric oxide, which dilates the blood vessels).

Some of these genetic variations are fairly common. Researchers estimate that some are carried by about 5% of the population. Most of these genes are each associated with only a small risk of high blood pressure. The more of these genetic variations you have, the more likely you are to have a genetic risk of high blood pressure.

However, the most recent major study (in 2016) not only found more of these types of genes, but also found three genes which have a larger effect on blood pressure. Thankfully, these genes are quite rare in the world’s populations.

There are also other ways in which our genes can affect our blood pressure, even after we’ve begun to develop. For example, early research suggests that there can be changes in a foetus’ DNA in the womb. And some of these might predispose the person to developing high blood pressure as an adult.

Does hereditary high blood pressure mean I’m stuck with it?

Is high blood pressure hereditary? Yes, for some people. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that, according to the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (catchy name), only 2-3% of cases of high blood pressure are accounted for by the known genetic causes of high blood pressure. Of course, scientists may find even more ways in which genes affect high blood pressure. But even so, by far the majority of cases of high blood pressure are either not due to hereditary factors or are only partially due to hereditary factors.

As Professor Jeremy Pearson, from the British Heart Foundation which part-funded the 2016 study points out,

Large scale genetic studies continue to expand the number of genes that may contribute to the development of heart disease, or risk factors such as high blood pressure. But so far most of the genes discovered in these studies individually have only very small effects on risk.

Non-genetic causes of high blood pressure

Other common causes of high blood pressure are not eating and drinking the right things, being too inactive, being too stressed, and being older… OK, the last one you can’t do anything about. But the other things are not only straightforward to alter, but can have profound effects on your blood pressure and general health.

As the British Heart Foundation says, a healthy lifestyle is the key to healthy blood pressure, whatever the cause of your high blood pressure. In the words of its director, Professor Peter Weissberg,

Researchers from across the world have now identified some of the genes linked to blood pressure control, which could pave the way for new treatments in the future.

But your genes are only one piece of the puzzle. You are less likely to have high blood pressure if you stick to a healthy diet, do plenty of exercise, and maintain a healthy weight.

What can I do if my high blood pressure is hereditary?

In other words, whether or not your high blood pressure is hereditary, it can still be lowered by lifestyle changes. Yes, some people are lucky with their genetic inheritance and can get away with shockingly unhealthy lifestyles without ever developing high blood pressure. (However, they’re likely to get bitten in the bum by that at some point, in some other way.) For yourself, it’s best to look on it as a welcome wake-up call to step up your health.

This isn’t to say you were unhealthy to start with. I developed extremely high blood pressure some years ago despite having a relatively healthy lifestyle. And I strongly suspect it’s at least partially genetic. However, after a bad experience with blood pressure medications, I managed to successfully lower my blood pressure. This was through a few changes in my diet and through regularly practising slow breathing.

Obviously everyone’s experiences are going to be different. However, having hereditary high blood pressure doesn’t condemn you to a lifetime of high blood pressure, or medications. It just means you’ve got to take better care of yourself. And let’s face it, that can only be a good thing. After all, all the natural methods of lowering blood pressure are good for your health generally and will help stave off other diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.

So how can I lower my high blood pressure (hereditary or not)?

For more information on lowering your blood pressure through lifestyle changes, you can browse this website.

If having a more structured approach would be beneficial, then take a look at my guide to lowering blood pressure naturally:

Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide

As the imaginative title suggests, the book is laid out in nine easy-to-follow steps. Each of these covers different things you can do to lower your blood pressure. Choosing tasty nutritious foods to eat and drink which can benefit your blood pressure. Finding ways to be more active in your daily life. Making time to relax – properly.

You can follow these steps at whatever pace suits you. And slowly but surely bring yourself and your blood pressure into better balance and optimal health.

I should emphasise that following this guide does not lead to a life of denial! Lowering your blood pressure, and getting healthier – and happier – is actually very enjoyable. Who doesn’t like good food and drink (and that can include booze and quality chocolate, among other things)? And there are many ways to be more active. (Plus there are even blood pressure-lowering exercises which you can do on your sofa.) Of course, now you also have a good reason to make sure you get more quality down time as well.

However you do it, and whatever your genetic predisposition, I wish you all the best in getting your blood pressure to healthier levels. If I can do it, you can do it!

Is high blood pressure hereditary? References and further information

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160912122350.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14851651

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/09September/Pages/new-blood-pressure-genes-found.aspx

http://www.gla.ac.uk/news/archiveofnews/2009/may/headline_118487_en.html

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hbp/causes

High Blood Pressure and Diabetes: What’s the Risk?

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There’s been obvious for years that high blood pressure and diabetes often go together.

However, now a huge study has demonstrated a clear link between high blood pressure and diabetes. In fact, it found that having high blood pressure made people 58% more likely to go on to develop Type 2 diabetes.

Now, this doesn’t mean that high blood pressure can directly cause diabetes, but it certainly means that having high blood pressure puts you more at risk.

So what can you do about it? More on that below, but first the study.

New study of high blood pressure and diabetes

Researchers at Oxford University looked at the health records of 4.1 million people, “an electronic health record system, covering approximately 9% of the U.K.population”, according to the research paper. These people did not initially have diabetes, but those with high blood pressure were more likely to have developed diabetes by the time they were followed up (up to 11 years later).

And the higher their blood pressure, the greater the risk. For example, for every 20 point (20 mmHg) increase in usual systolic blood pressure, the risk of developing diabetes went up by 58%.

The researchers also put together and analysed 30 previous studies into high blood pressure and diabetes and found a similar pattern.

This connection between high blood pressure and diabetes was similar for men and women, old and young (those included in the study were between 30 and 90 years old), and was also similar for those with normal weight and the obese. (The increase in diabetes risk due to high blood pressure was less dramatic for older folk and those who’re most overweight, but they have a much higher risk of both high blood pressure and diabetes anyway.)

So, all in all, it looks like diabetes is definitely something to watch out for if you have high blood pressure – and you’re more likely to develop it the higher your blood pressure is.

Does high blood pressure itself increase your risk of diabetes?

Well, this is the big question.

According to the author of the study, Professor Kazem Rahimi, “We can’t say for certain that one causes the other, but this study helps to connect the dots, showing that if you have high blood pressure there is a significantly greater chance of developing diabetes.”

He continues: “At a minimum we know for certain that the link exists, but is high blood pressure a cause of diabetes or just a risk factor? We still don’t know.”

Or are there common underlying causes for both high blood pressure and diabetes?

It’s also possible that other health issues which are associated with high blood pressure could independently put you at more risk of diabetes.

For example, high blood pressure is associated with chronic inflammation in the body as well problems with the lining of the blood vessels (endothelial dysfunction). Both these factors not only make you more likely to develop high blood pressure (and obesity) but Professor Rahimi speculates that they may also put you more at risk of diabetes.

It’s useful to look at the factors which underlie all these health issues though. It’s already well known that having an unhealthy diet, not getting enough exercise and being chronically stressed make you more likely to develop both high blood pressure and diabetes (possibly because these also lead to chronic inflammation). So your lifestyle plays a huge role in your susceptibility to high blood pressure and diabetes.

How can you reduce high blood pressure and your risk of diabetes?

Well, one option is of course to get straight on high blood pressure-reducing medication. Professor Rahimi does mention this option in his publication (referring to specific types of blood pressure-reducing medication) but acknowledges that more research is needed to determine if it would be effective.

He also mentions that lifestyle changes, such as encouraging people to drink less alcohol and exercise more, could potentially reduce the amount of people developing diabetes.

Indeed, as mentioned above, things like eating unhealthily, drinking too much, not being active enough, and being stressed are well known to put you at greater risk of high blood pressure and diabetes, and worsen their associated symptoms and side-effects.

So lowering your blood pressure and your risk of diabetes is fairly simple. As Dr Richard Elliott, research communications manager at Diabetes UK, says: “We know that the best way to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes is to maintain a healthy weight by eating a healthy balanced diet and taking part in regular physical activity.”

Lowering your blood pressure naturally like this will also mean you get to avoid the unpleasant side-effects that can often be associated with blood pressure-lowering medicines. And common sense tells us that it’s far more effective to deal with the underlying causes rather than just treating the symptoms.

Lower your blood pressure (and diabetes risk) naturally and effectively

OK, that’s all well and good, but what kinds of foods and drinks should you be going for? What’s the best (or easiest) way to get more exercise? And how can you find time to de-stress?

You can browse some of the other posts on this website for more information (see the ‘recent posts’ section or use the website search bar at the top left).

You can also have a look at our new guide for lowering your blood pressure naturally: Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide

The guide covers everything you need to know about improving your diet, stepping up your activity levels and re-learning how to relax.

To keep it simple, it’s laid out in 9 steps. You just follow the advice for each step – take it a week at a time or a month at a time, whatever suits you – and you’ll be on your way to lower blood pressure and better health in general.

Not only is the guide easy to follow but it’s also enjoyable to follow, with lots of tasty food and drink suggestions, and useful tips and insights on lifestyle changes. Little things that – put together – can make a big difference.

Remember – whatever you do to lower your blood pressure will also lower your risk of diabetes.

And if you don’t have high blood pressure or diabetes and want to make sure you never do, then this guide will keep you on a healthy track.

References:

https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/downloads/academic/15-1161RR_Rahimi_JACC100615.pdf

https://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/news/201509_%20Blood_pressure_diabetes

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/sep/29/study-gives-strongest-link-yet-between-blood-pressure-and-diabetes

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/21/inflammatory-foods-worst-inflammation_n_2838643.html

Herpes link to hypertension?

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UPDATE 2018: Since the old version of this article (below) is still getting comments, I decided to do a bit more research on a possible herpes link to hypertension.

There isn’t actually much recent information about a connection between herpes and high blood pressure online which may suggest there isn’t a strong herpes link to hypertension. However, there is some evidence that there’s some kind of association with herpes and high blood pressure. Here’s a brief summary of some key research studies.

Herpes simplex and high blood pressure

Herpes simplex virus type 1 and hypertension

Herpes simplex virus images from NIH Image Gallery on flickr.com

A 1986 article in the New York Times reports on several studies looking at herpes simplex in relation to the condition of one’s arteries. Studies have found that having herpes simplex (herpes simplex virus type 1) may increase one’s risk of developing atherosclerosis (a form of arteriosclerosis) – hardening of the arteries.

Herpes simplex type 1 is the virus which can cause cold sores (fever blisters) and most people have the virus in their bodies, even if they rarely or never have any symptoms. However, studies suggest that the virus can impair the ability of the cells of the blood vessel walls to deal with cholesterol in the bloodstream. As such, the arteries are more likely to develop hard plaques, characteristic of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis in turn makes you more likely to develop high blood pressure and/or heart disease. (High blood pressure is also a cause of arteriosclerosis, itself damaging the walls of the arteries.)

In the words of one lead researcher, Dr. David Hajjar of Cornell University Medical College in New York.

”Our hypothesis is that the virus early on transforms or alters cells within the blood vessel so that during our years of development the blood vessel can’t handle all the cholesterol that comes in.”

I should emphasise there that this does not mean that everyone who has herpes simplex is going to develop atherosclerosis or high blood pressure. Since plenty people with herpes simplex never develop atherosclerosis or hypertension, there are clearly many other factors at work.

Read the original article here: Herpes virus implicated in clogging of arteries (New York Times)

Herpes simplex virus type 2 and hypertension

Herpes simplex type 2 is the virus which causes genital herpes. Fun fun. A 2004 study analysed blood samples from 488 people with hypertension and 756 people without. It found that those with hypertension had a higher rate of herpes simplex infection. As such, the study authors concluded that:

The results of this study indicated that HSV-2 infection might be an independent risk factor for essential hypertension.

As for why, well it seems that inflammation may be the link. Increasingly researchers are finding that chronic inflammation in the body (including the blood vessels) is associated with high blood pressure. Herpes simplex virus type 2 causes inflammation (amongst other symptoms), and having this infection was associated with high blood pressure in this study.

Read the original article here: Herpes simplex virus type 2 infection is a risk factor for hypertension (PubMed)

Cytomegalovirus and high blood pressure

Another virus, which is in the herpes family of viruses, has also been associated with high blood pressure. Like herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus is one of those viruses that most of us will have picked up by the time we’re middle-aged. Most of us will fortunately remain symptom-free, though cytomegalovirus can be serious for those with weak immune-systems and for babies.

As with herpes simplex, scientists had already found that having the cytomegalovirus (CMV) in your system was associated with atherosclerosis. However, this new study brought together medical researchers from different specialties to figure out why. (This is the 2009 study referenced in our original post on the herpes link to hypertension, below).

They found that mice infected with CMV had significantly higher blood pressure after six weeks than those without CMV. They also found that mice put on a high-cholesterol diet and infected with CMV were even more likely to develop higher blood pressure and also atherosclerosis.

Further research also allowed the researchers to start to unpick the reasons for this. They found that CMV infection increased inflammation in the mices’ blood vessels, and other tissues. It also resulted in greater production of renin and angiotensin II, two substances involved in raising blood pressure.

In the words of one of the lead researchers, Mr Crumpacker,

We found that CMV infection alone led to an increase in high blood pressure, and when combined with a high-cholesterol diet, the infection actually induced atherosclerosis in a mouse aorta.

Now, this series of studies involved mice, not humans. However, the results show clear ways in which this virus can raise blood pressure in humans too. More research is ongoing.

Read the original article here: Common virus may cause high blood pressure (Harvard Gazette)

Confirming this herpes and hypertension link was a 2016 analysis. Researchers analysed three studies which had looked the link between CMV and high blood pressure. They concluded that.

The results showed a significant association between CMV and essential hypertension, which indicates that CMV infection is a possible cause of essential hypertension.

Regarding possible reasons for this association, they found some evidence for inflammation and affecting the renin-angiotensin system, as in the 2009 study above. They also suggested the immune response to CMV infection itself may increase blood pressure, and gene-related changes induced by CMV.

Read the original article here: Association of cytomegalovirus infection with hypertension risk: a meta-analysis (Springer.com)

So what’s the deal – is there a herpes link to hypertension?

Well, it looks like there is evidence that having herpes infections – whether herpes simplex or cytomegalovirus – can put you at more risk of developing high blood pressure. However, since herpes infections are far more common than high blood pressure, having a herpes virus in your system clearly doesn’t sentence you to high blood pressure.

And what can you do about it?

Some of the researchers involved in the studies discussed have suggested that in the future the medical profession may look at viral therapies to treat some cases of high blood pressure. Some note that vaccines could be developed against the various herpes viruses.

However effective these may prove to to be, one thing is clear by now. And that’s that high blood pressure has many causes – not just across different people but often even within one person. What’s also clear is that, regardless of any viral factors that predispose you to high blood pressure, how you live can make a big difference.

Most of us now know that what you eat and drink can have a serious effect on your blood pressure. Indeed, this was highlighted in the herpes study on mice, above, which found that those put on a high-cholesterol diet were more likely to develop atherosclerosis and high blood pressure.

What kind of lifestyle you have, day to day, also affects blood pressure. Not being physically active enough increases your chances of developing (or worsening) hypertension, as does being frequently stressed.

So, whether you have any kind of herpes virus or not, there is plenty you can do yourself to alter your blood pressure. Even in the worst case scenario – if you have a herpes virus and if it does increase your blood pressure – there’s plenty you can do to counteract this. Read on for more details.

How to lower your blood pressure naturally (even if you have a herpes virus)

As I just mentioned, you can go a long way to improving your blood pressure yourself, even if you have a herpes virus. You could probably make some alterations to what you eat and drink. A few more fresh vegetables, a few less fizzy drinks and sodas. You could be a bit more active. Jog up the stairs instead of walking up. Walk at least part of the way to work. Go for a brisk stroll round the park on your lunchbreak. And you could almost certainly learn how to be more relaxed. Shed that stress!

Yes, yes, I hear you saying. But it’s easier said than done. Absolutely. Which is why we’ve put together this easy-to-follow guide to help you do it: Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide

As the title suggests, it’s laid out in nine clear and simple steps. You can follow these at entirely your own pace. Do one a week, one a month, whatever you want.

The guide covers what to eat and drink (and not eat and drink) to lower your blood pressure, easy ways to get more exercise, and a range of tried-and-tested techniques to relax and unwind.

Follow the guide, and you’ll be on the way to lowering your blood pressure naturally and effectively, and for life.

One last thing – a major obstacle many of us have to such changes is the fear that it’s going to be difficult and seriously dull. On the contrary, lowering your blood pressure can actually be seriously enjoyable.

First of all, there are plenty foods and drinks you can buy or make which are delicious and also happen to be healthy (nuts, dark chocolate, avocado are just a few). And there are plenty ways you can get yourself moving more without having to go to a gym, or even without having to leave your house (you can even turn your everyday chores into invigorating exercise – put on some music and dance while you hoover or do the weeding). And the relaxation techniques we discuss are pure pleasure.

The issue here is what you’re doing habitually – every day, or most days. So if you’re mostly eating healthily and being active, then you can still have a totally unhealthy snack or utterly lazy day now and again. The thing is to get into good habits and then you can live a healthier life, unfettered by worries about your blood pressure (and herpes). Our guide will help you do that. Click here for more details: Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally – The Complete 9 Step Guide