It is thought that almost 1 out of every 3 individuals is going to suffer from high blood pressure at some point in their life.

Diabetes and blood pressure problems often go hand-in-hand and up to 60% of all individuals that have diabetes are also going to have a problem with hypertension. What is the connection between diabetes and blood pressure and is there anything that can be done in order to treat these two diseases simultaneously?

Although there are a lot of determining factors that can go into why individual would have diabetes and high blood pressure, one of the main factors in both of them could be excess weight. It seems that we are dealing with an epidemic of sorts as far as obesity is concerned in many developed countries. This not only can cause diabetes, many individuals have hypertension as a direct result of the weight that they carry.

If this is the case with you, watching your diet and getting some exercise can go a long way in helping to overcome both of these diseases to a certain extent. Even though you may still need to watch your health for the rest of your life, diabetes and high blood pressure can be controlled to a certain extent by diet and exercise.

Many of the complications that are caused by diabetes are also complicated by high blood pressure. This would include problems with your eyes and kidneys. An individual who has diabetes would be more likely to experience problems with these particular organs and if they have high blood pressure, those complications could be worsened to a large degree. That is why it is necessary to control both your diabetes and your high blood pressure so that they do not feed off of each other in this particular instance.

Fortunately, individuals with diabetes go in for regular checkups under normal circumstances. During these checkups they will have their blood pressure checked as well and will typically be able to catch any problems that occur as far as hypertension is concerned. This will go a long ways in helping them to lower their high blood pressure so that it is taken out of the danger zone as quickly as possible.

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Hypertension definitions

Before you look into the cause of your hypertension, you need to understand the two main types of high blood pressure being primary hypertension (otherwise called essential hypertension) and secondary hypertension.

Primary hypertension

The most common form of high blood pressure is called Primary or Essential Hypertension. The main causes are genetic – the bad news is that if one or both your parents suffer from blood pressure problems, your chances of suffering from this illness increase dramatically.

A diet high in fats, bad cholesterol and salt will also increase your risks of suffering from hypertension. This type of diet also leads to increased weight problems and clogged arteries – neither condition being good for your blood pressure readings.

People who drink and smoke to excess will also increase their risk of primary hypertension. Smoking not only removes the oxygen from your blood but it also leaves a residue which clogs your arteries. Your body needs to work harder to get the blood around the system. Drinking heavily will dehydrate your body – the main component of your body is water. When you are dehydrated your arteries constrict which puts pressure on the heart muscle when it is trying to pump the blood through.

Secondary Hypertension

This is the lesser known type of high blood pressure. By virtue of its name, you can sense that usually this type of blood pressure problem is directly related to something else such as another health problem. It can also be caused as a result of taking medication not just prescription drugs but over the counter remedies and of course illegal substances.

In some women, pregnancy will cause blood pressure problems. This condition is known as pre-eclampsia and can be fatal if not properly controlled. It is because of this condition that pregnant woman are closely monitored as one of the first signs of this complication is protein in urine or an increase in blood pressure. Any pregnant woman who complains of swelling feet, headaches or changes in vision should contact their doctor immediately.

In fact, high blood pressure can be caused by a range of illnesses not least of which are diabetes, kidney disease or thyroid problems. If your doctor discovers increased blood pressure readings at your next exam, you are very likely to be subjected to a range of tests to discover, if possible, the exact cause and type of your hypertension.

Just what is high blood pressure anyway and why are there so many different names for it?

Primary hypertension is believed to be an effect of the sort of lifestyle you have and eating the incorrect varieties of food, smoking, strain and decreased exercise can result in primary hypertension. The correction of these characteristics can serve to reduce blood pressure but the precise cause of primary hypertension is still unknown although numerous believe this can be an inherited condition.

Another type of high blood pressure is secondary hypertension which affects 5 to 10 in every 100 individuals. As it's name suggests, the patient is already suffering from a health condition such as cancer, liver failure, kidney failure or heart disease and this underlying illness causes problems with your blood pressure.

There is a type of hypertension that's common in pregnant women, called pregnancy-stimulated high blood pressure. If a pregnant lady should experience any symptoms including but limited to: head aches, sickness, low appetite and water retention, they should consult their doctor.

Another form of high blood pressure is called isolated systolic hypertension, and is found mainly in seniors. When individuals grow older their arterial blood vessels are not as supple as they used to be so the veins cannot handle the surges of blood, and this leads to plaque buildup in the veins. After a spell this may cause hardening of the arteries which in turn will elevate the systolic blood pressure.

A rare form of high blood pressure is known as labile hypertension which comes about when a person's blood pressure alters more than that which is thought normal. Blood pressure could go from high to low several times in the course of a few hours. This may be stimulated by anxiousness or too much caffeine but regardless the cause, hypertension must be handled by one means or another to stop from making other troubles which may turn into those that threaten life.

As you can see blood pressure problems come in various different forms and are treated in different ways.