“ High cholesterol “ does not directly “ lead to high blood pressure “. Take a look at what I’ve already said on high blood pressure.
• Cause not known in 95% of cases.
Pressure in arteries depends on how hard the heart pumps, and how much resistance there is in the arteries ; slight narrowing of the arteries increases resistance to blood flow, which increases the blood pressure.
• Various factors probably contribute, such as atheroma / atherosclerosis ( fatty / fibrous deposits in the walls ).
( Atherosclerosis is by far the commonest disease of arteries and is the basis for most cardiovascular disease ( heart attacks, strokes and others ). Risk factors are :-
• Modifiable ( smoking, “ high cholesterol “ – meaning hyperlipidaemia and HDL levels, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, exercise level, alcohol consumption ).
• Hard to modify – personality type, stress.
• Non-modifiable ( age, male sex, family history ).
• Some combinations of risk factors are worse than others.)
