2. Hypertension
High blood pressure is another leading cause of congestive heart failure. High blood pressure is when the blood that is flowing through the arteries in the body are at elevated pressures. When the heart is contracting, blood pressure is at its highest. This is when the systolic blood pressure goes up. Between beats, the heart relaxes.
This causes the blood pressure to fall and makes the diastolic blood pressure rise. The systolic blood pressure is the number on top and the diastolic blood pressure is the number on the bottom when you get your blood pressure taken. Normal blood pressure is lower than 120/80.
If a person is under the age of 60, blood pressure is considered to be high at anything greater than 140/90. If a person is over the age of 60, high blood pressure is anything greater than 150/90. A person with consistently high blood pressure is at a greater risk of developing congestive heart failure.