High blood pressure can have a number of causes, some in and some out of an individual’s control.
Factors within a person’s control include their weight, their diet, how inactive they are, and whether they drink too much coffee or alcohol.
Risk factors that can increase a person’s risk of high blood pressure also include those which are out of their control such as their age, whether they have a relative with high blood pressure and ethnicity.
Research has shown people of black African or black Caribbean descent are more likely to experience high blood pressure.