Fears over deportation could double the risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a new study.

Researchers followed 572 women from Mexico who were living in the Salinas Valley region of California. After four years, participants who did not initially have high blood pressure were twice as likely to be diagnosed with the condition if they had reported moderate or significant worries about deportation compared to those who had little worry.

“Our findings suggest that the concerns around immigration policies and enforcement may have potentially negative impacts on the long-term cardiovascular health of immigrants and their families and community,” said Jacqueline M. Torres, lead author of the study and assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.

The study, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, comes as news of deportations frequently makes headlines. These events could be causing fear that could lead to long-term, life-altering health effects, according to researchers.

In 2012-2014, the participants were asked to rate their concern about deportation for themselves or others. Nearly half of participants said they were very worried, while about a quarter of the women said they were moderately worried and 28% said they were not very worried. At the time of the initial assessment, there was no significant difference in the proportion of women diagnosed with high blood pressure.

After four years, there was no change in the association between deportation worry and higher body mass index and waist circumference.

High blood pressure occurs when the force of blood flowing through the vessels is too high. The health consequences can include a higher risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and heart failure.

According to researchers, the study may not capture the full extent of the health dangers associated with deportation fears.

“The women in this study are living in a welcoming, largely Latino community, and they’re also in California, where they may have less fear of being deported because it’s a sanctuary state,” said senior author Brenda Eskenazi, who directs the Center for Environmental Research and Children’s Health at the University of California, Berkeley. “These results may be magnified in other regions in the United States.”

For participants’ six-year follow-up visit, the investigators are expanding the list of questions, and plan to measure the impact of deportation worries on outcomes related to the women’s well-being as they enter middle age.

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Referred to as the “silent killer,” high blood pressure can affect anyone. But, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ National Institute on Aging, age is a common cause.

According to Courtney Catherine, admissions director at Landerbrook Transitional Care in Mayfield Heights, and Dr. David Gutman, founder of Cleveland Nutrition in Beachwood, high blood pressure in older individuals stems from many causes, including lifestyle choices.

“High blood pressure does not occur overnight – it occurs because of prolonged damage to blood vessels,” Gutman explained. “Blood pressure increases because blood vessels get stiff. They’re supposed to be elastic and stretch out to accommodate blood when your heart pumps and recoils when your heart takes a break. You have to have elastic arteries for that to happen.”

But when they become stiff, Gutman said, they don’t dilate correctly, which is what causes blood pressure to rise. According to the American Heart Association, one has high blood pressure when the first number reads 130 and the second is 80 or higher.

“This is because cholesterol plaque buildup in the arteries becomes calcified and stiff,” Gutman said. “That tends to take a while, and that’s why elderly individuals have it more than young people.”

Catherine said lifestyle choices can add to one’s chances of developing high blood pressure.

“One of which is smoking,” she said. “Another is a diet high in salts. And a lot of times, if they have been eating a certain diet their whole life, it’s harder to change when they’re 75 or 80 years old. Other chronic conditions can cause high blood pressure as well, such as a kidney or hormone problem, as well as general family history.”

When someone is experiencing high blood pressure, Gutman said it generally goes on unnoticed since there aren’t any major symptoms.

“It causes damage to organs but it’s unrecognized until the tipping point,” he said. “But high blood pressure does increase the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack, heart failure, heart arrhythmias, kidney failure, eye problems like blindness and even dementia.”

Catherine noted some physical symptoms may occur that one wouldn’t immediately associate with a blood pressure problem, like a pounding feeling in their chest, a feeling of lightheadedness or dizziness.

With a condition like high blood pressure, Catherine said it’s important to keep an eye on one’s health. That starts in knowing how to manage it.

“One thing we do when we are getting ready to discharge residents after therapy is make sure they are already on their blood pressure medications and that it’s good,” she said. “Also, if you’re able to have a blood pressure monitor at home, that’s great. But, if not, we can do free blood pressure checks when needed.”

Having an at-home monitor allows individuals to self check, Catherine said.

“You need to do it many times to establish a baseline and to get that average,” she explained.

Gutman also said medications are an important treatment option, but stressed the importance of keeping track of the side effects.

“Medications themselves have a lot of side effects that can be very serious,” he noted. “And most people have to be on many medications, so they have even more side effects. The reason is that pills aren’t addressing the underlying problem.”

In addition to medication, individuals should consider diet and exercise changes to help manage their blood pressure.

“Alongside medications, it would mean completely changing what you’re eating,” Gutman suggested. “If you’re still eating what you always have, the disease will progress no matter what pills you throw at it. Consider cutting out salt and reducing animal products.”

But for any health condition, management and recovery is not a straight line. It’s different for everyone, the professionals said.

“You’re not going to fix blood pressure problems overnight,” Catherine said. “It’s more of a journey. But if you believe you have high blood pressure, make an appointment with your doctor and get their opinion. It’s worth trying.”

Gutman noted, “(Changing your lifestyle) may come across as extreme, but that’s the challenge. You have to decide what is important to you. At the end of the day, (patients) have to make a decision. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing, but the more they can make the shift, the better the outcome will be.”

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