Mortality & Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, also know as hypertension, is known to be a risk factor in developing coronary heart disease. This leads to higher rates of heart attack and stroke, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are the leading and third-leading causes of human mortality. However, there are studies that indicate age, gender and population factors are involved in the relationship between blood pressure and mortality.

Identification

• Blood pressure is the measurement of how much force your blood exerts on your artery walls. According to the American Heart Association, a measurement of 140 systolic over 90 diastolic is considered a high blood pressure reading. If your blood pressure remains high over long periods of time, it can damage arteries and overwork your heart, resulting in increased risk of mortality from stroke or heart attack.

Causes

• High blood pressure is caused by a number of factors, including diet, lifestyle, weight and family history. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that a diet high in sodium and saturated fat can increase risk of blood pressure and its mortality threats, as can lack of exercise, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.

Significance

• The American Heart Association describes how high blood pressure causes the artery walls to stretch beyond healthy limits, which causes problems such as vascular weakness and plaque buildup. Excessive workload on organs and tissue damage cause blood pressure-related health issues that contribute to early mortality rates.

Considerations

• Family history is a significant factor in causing primary hypertension. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if you have family members who had high blood pressure and mortality rates related to associated conditions, these risk factors can be inherited.

Expert Insight

• Studies done in 2000 by the New England Journal of Medicine and the University of California demonstrate that a high blood pressure measurement does not correlate 100 percent to mortality issues. Data show that absolute risk of mortality for people with the same level of blood pressure varies substantially. Factors include age, gender and geographic location of populations. Further studies on blood pressure thresholds as they relate to mortality and use of anti-hypertensives were called for. Another study done by The Annals of Family Medicine in 2008 found that those who suffer from high blood pressure associated with nervousness at the doctor's office, called white coat syndrome, had significantly less risk of death than those who had sustained hypertension.