One of the major health problems that the American society and the whole world experience is the prevalence of hypertension or high blood pressure, caused illnesses or deaths in many people today. A special report made by the website Lifeclinic.com stated that almost 50 million Americans have hypertension, "1 in every 4 adults" (2013). This statistic illustrates the increasing number of people who are gradually suffering and eventually dying due to hypertension. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is defined to be the "condition which can result when the arterial diameter is reduced and increased pressure caused by reduced diameter of the arteries plays a greater role in hypertension" (Varona 1999 46).
             To comprehend the concept of hypertension, a definition of blood pressure is needed. Blood pressure is defined as "the pressure of the blood flowing through the blood vessels against the vessel walls." In effect, if a high blood pressure occurs in the body, it means that more work must be done by the heart, that is the heart must pump more blood for circulation to be undisrupted (Lifeclinic.com 2002). Conversely, low blood pressure happens when the heart pumps blood flowing through the arteries at a much slower rate than the normal. Low blood pressure is a rare occurrence among people's health, and since hypertension was historically proven to be the more fatal of the two cases related to blood circulation, hypertension is now considered an immediate concern of many people regarding their health condition.
             The cause of hypertension in the body, outside factors that triggers the occurrence of hypertension will be discussed. Aside from the stress that the arterial walls experience inside our body, outside factors such as activities that individuals do or food and drugs that one takes inside the body are possible factors that makes it possible for hypertension to happen. Probable causes of hypert...