The risk factors of hypertension run far and deep, ranging from age to lifestyle and even race. There are some risk factors that you can control, but some you cannot.

Out of Control

Those who are at risk of developing hypertension include those who are overweight or are of the African-American race. However, men run a greater overall risk for developing high blood pressure than women do, but postmenopausal women who are 20 pounds or more overweight are more so at risk for developing high blood pressure. Furthermore, the older we get, the greater the risk for developing high blood pressure. Also, if your parents have or had high blood pressure, you have a greater chance of developing it, too.

Get With the Program

There are a number of other risk factors that are within your control:

• heavy alcohol consumption – alcohol, a depressant, can overload your liver with toxic substances, thus raising your blood pressure. Over time, heavy drinking can damage the heart. Having more than two or three drinks in the same sitting can also temporarily raise your blood pressure, as it may cause your body to release hormones that increase blood flow and heart rate.

• diabetes – is a condition in which the kidneys are unable to filter out waste from the body efficiently. This places extra stress upon the liver and the heart, causing high blood pressure

• use of oral contraceptives – oral contraceptives greatly increase the risk of developing blood clots, and the hormones cause the blood pressure to rise

• inactivity - people who are inactive tend to have higher heart rates. The higher your heart rate, the harder your heart must work with each contraction — and the stronger the force on your arteries. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight

• obesity - 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 on your artery walls

• smoking – the chemicals in tobacco smoke can damage the lining of your arterial walls, as well as immediately raise your blood pressure. This can cause the arteries to narrow, thus, increase your blood pressure

• salt – too much sodium in your diet can cause fluid retention, which increases blood pressure

• lack of potassium – potassium helps balance the amount of sodium in your cells. Not enough of it = too much sodium in your blood stream, burdening your kidneys and liver, thus causing high blood pressure

• lack of vitamin D – Vitamin D can affect an enzyme produced by the kidneys that affects blood pressure. Further studies are needed to prove this theory

• stress – high levels of chronic stress can lead to a spike in blood pressure. Exercise may be the best remedy to channel the energy depleted from stress. Eating more, using tobacco or drinking alcohol in attempts to alleviate stress may only increase your blood pressure and cause more complications

• chronic conditions – there are certain chronic conditions which may also increase risk of high blood pressure. These conditions include high cholesterol, diabetes, kidney disease and sleep apnea

Look Out for the Children

Pregnancy is also a condition, which may cause chronic high blood pressure. Carrying a baby allowing it to utilize nutrients and oxygen from your body can cause stress on the mother, causing high blood pressure. This condition, although rare, is known as pre-clampsia. Children, unfortunately, may be at risk of developing high blood pressure, which is caused by problems with the kidneys or the heart. For a growing number of kids, unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise may also contribute to high blood pressure.