When someone has hypertension, they have high blood pressure. There are multiple factors that can contribute to high blood pressure, including high sodium intake, lack of exercise, smoking, old age, etc. One of the number one causes of hypertension however is being overweight/obese. Since Rick is overweight, we can make an educated guess and say that his weight is causing him to show early signs of hypertension. Rick would want to start a calorie restricted diet. Causing him to lose weight would likely decrease his chances of developing hypertension. For good measure, Rick should also consider a low sodium diet, because sodium can also cause hypertension.