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What are the risks and who’s at risk?

Understanding the risks can help you be more aware of how likely you are to develop hypertension or elevated resting heart rate.

What are the risks and who’s at risk?

Understanding the risks can help you be more aware of how likely you are to develop hypertension or elevated resting heart rate.

Are you between 20-65 years old? Now it’s time to know

Around 24.1% of men and 20.1% of women over 18 years of age have raised blood pressure. Hypertension becomes progressively more common with advancing age. Moreover, worldwide, the estimated number of adults with high blood pressure increased from 594 million in 1975 to 1.13 billion in 2015 and is estimated to increase by 15-20% by 2025, reaching close to 1.5 billion.1,2

As you may know, young people are thought to be free of diseases such as hypertension. But you probably don't know that hypertension is increasing in younger individuals.3

Do you really know all the risks? Are you sure?

It’s true that your blood pressure tends to rise as you get older and that your risk for elevated resting heart rate increases with age. However, the increased prevalence of risk factors (e.g., obesity, diabetes mellitus, renal disease, and poor lifestyle) increases the risk of developing hypertension in the future.4

So, remember: don’t wait until tomorrow, ask your doctor.

Risk factors for hypertension and elevated resting heart rate

Some risk factors you can’t do nothing but be aware of and take under control. Others are related to your lifestyle and you can take action to improve your health.2,5–7

Risk factors that you can’t change

People over the age of 60 years have a significantly higher risk of elevated resting heart rate than younger adults. The risk for hypertension also increases with age.

People of African heritage tend to develop high blood pressure more often and earlier in life than people of other racial backgrounds. The ethnic group doesn’t seem to affect the risk of elevated resting heart rate.

Genes are likely to play some role in elevated resting heart rate, hypertension, and other related conditions. It is also likely that people with a family history of both conditions share a common lifestyle and other potential factors that increase their risk.

Until age of 64, men are more likely to get high blood pressure than women, while elevated resting heart rate doesn’t seem to affect men and women differently.

Conditions that stress the heart or damage its tissue, such as anemia, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, overactive or underactive thyroid, sleep apnoea, and imbalance of electrolytes, can increase the risk of elevated resting heart rate. Some chronic conditions, like kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, and sleep apnoea can also increase the risk of hypertension.

People over the age of 60 years have a significantly higher risk of elevated resting heart rate than younger adults. The risk for hypertension also increases with age.

People of African heritage tend to develop high blood pressure more often and earlier in life than people of other racial backgrounds. The ethnic group doesn’t seem to affect the risk of elevated resting heart rate.

Genes are likely to play some role in elevated resting heart rate, hypertension, and other related conditions. It is also likely that people with a family history of both conditions share a common lifestyle and other potential factors that increase their risk.

Until age of 64, men are more likely to get high blood pressure than women, while elevated resting heart rate doesn’t seem to affect men and women differently.

Conditions that stress the heart or damage its tissue, such as anemia, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, overactive or underactive thyroid, sleep apnoea, and imbalance of electrolytes, can increase the risk of elevated resting heart rate. Some chronic conditions, like kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, and sleep apnoea can also increase the risk of hypertension.

Risk factors that depend on your choices

Inactive people may develop elevated resting heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the stronger the pressure the blood flows on your arteries at each beat. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight and hence the risk of elevated resting heart rate and hypertension.

The more you weigh the more blood you need to supply oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. As the volume of blood circulated through your blood vessels increases, so does the pressure of blood on your artery walls.

Smoking immediately raise your blood pressure temporarily and the chemicals in tobacco can narrow your arteries and can cause an irregular heart rhythm, increasing your risk of heart disease. Second-hand smoke can also increase your heart disease risk.

Psychological stress or anxiety can accelerate your heartbeat, increasing the risk of elevated resting heart rate. High levels of stress can also lead to a temporary increase in blood pressure.

Use of drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamines, may cause your heart to beat faster, increasing the risk of elevated resting heart rate.

The more alcohol you drink, the higher your heart rate gets. Over time, heavy drinking can increase the risk of elevated resting heart rate and hypertension.

Adding too much salt to your diet can cause your body to retain fluid, which increases blood pressure.

Excess of caffeine may cause your heart to beat faster, increasing the risk of elevated resting heart rate.

Inactive people may develop elevated resting heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the stronger the pressure the blood flows on your arteries at each beat. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight and hence the risk of elevated resting heart rate and hypertension.

People over the age of 60 years have a significantly higher risk of elevated resting heart rate than younger adults. The risk for hypertension also increases with age.

Inactive people may develop elevated resting heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the stronger the pressure the blood flows on your arteries at each beat. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight and hence the risk of elevated resting heart rate and hypertension.

People over the age of 60 years have a significantly higher risk of elevated resting heart rate than younger adults. The risk for hypertension also increases with age.Inactive people may develop elevated resting heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the stronger the pressure the blood flows on your arteries at each beat. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight and hence the risk of elevated resting heart rate and hypertension.

Lack of physical activity inactive people may develop elevated resting heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the stronger the pressure the blood flows on your arteries at each beat. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight and hence the risk of elevated resting heart rate and hypertension.

Lack of physical activity inactive people may develop elevated resting heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the stronger the pressure the blood flows on your arteries at each beat. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight and hence the risk of elevated resting heart rate and hypertension.

Lack of physical activity inactive people may develop elevated resting heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the stronger the pressure the blood flows on your arteries at each beat. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight and hence the risk of elevated resting heart rate and hypertension.

Lack of physical activity inactive people may develop elevated resting heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the stronger the pressure the blood flows on your arteries at each beat. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight and hence the risk of elevated resting heart rate and hypertension.


Discover now, prevent for the future

Your protection is made of knowledge, management, and prevention. Uncontrolled elevated resting heart rate and hypertension are major risk factors for heart, brain, kidney, and other diseases, which can affect your health in different ways. In most cases, the damage occurs over time. If left undetected, elevated heart rate and hypertension can lead to:8


 

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1. NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC). Worldwide trends in blood pressure from 1975 to 2015: a pooled analysis of 1479 population-based measurement studies with 19·1 million participants. Lancet Lond Engl. 2017;389(10064):37-55.
2. Williams B, Mancia G, Spiering W, et al. 2018 ESC/ESH Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension. Eur Heart J. 2018;39(33):3021-3104.
3. Virani SS, Alonso A, Benjamin EJ, et al. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2020 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2020;141(9):e139-e596.
4. Williams B. High blood pressure in young people and premature death. BMJ. 2011;342:d1104.
5. Hypertension Canada Guidelines. Health Behaviour Management, Hypertension Canada Guidelines. Published online 2018. Accessed April 17, 2020. https://guidelines.hypertension.ca/prevention-treatment/health-behaviour-management
6. Mayo Clinic. Tachycardia - Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. Published 2020. Accessed May 27, 2020. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tachycardia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355127
7. Mayo Clinic. www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes. Published April 23, 2020. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373410
8. American Heart Association. Consequences of High Blood Pressure. Published online 2020.