 [ Symptoms ] i have a sore throat and beginnings of an earache i feel fine otherwise but it is very very hard to swallow for the last three days i have woken up to a sore throat in the morning i thought it might have been dry because of the change of seasons and maybe because the air is dry it went away through the course of the day except today and it is starting to make my left ear hurt what do i do [ Disease ] high blood pressure is more likely in people who have a family history of high blood pressure heart disease or diabetes are black are greater than age 55 are overweight are not physically active drink excessively smoke eat foods high in saturated fats or salt use certain medications such as nsaids decongestants and illicit drugs such as cocaine