Hypertension is the clinical term given to the blood vessels having raised blood pressure Lim et al 2012 Joffres et al 2013 Makridakis and DiNicolantonio 2014. Blood pressure occurs when the force of blood pushes against the walls of arteries as it is pumped to the heart Makridakis and DiNicolantonio 2014. The higher the pressure means the heart works harder which overtime can increase the prevalence of conditions such as heart attacks stroke, heart failure, kidney disease and can affect the quality of life in individuals Lim et al 2012 Makridakis and DiNicolantonio 2014. Moreover, high blood pressure is a global risk factor Lim et al 2012 statistics have shown that one in three adults in the UK has high blood pressure however, as it is a silent disease with no visible symptoms many individuals may not know they have high blood pressure until they get their blood pressure taken Joffres et al 2013. Research in the cause of high blood pressure has found only a small percentage of people with treated hypertension are within the desired threshold Lim et al 2012. High blood pressure is a multifaceted illness that includes factors such as genetics lifestyle and behaviors. Non-pharmacological treatments have been found to reduce the risk of high blood pressure in Ha 2014.
