Before you know which are the causes of hypertension, or high blood pressure, you should know that this is a usual health problem, specially in the United States. While everyone will see their blood pressure raise on some occasion, such as during a very stressful event, a consistently higher than normal blood pressure reading can put a person at a higher risk of other medical conditions like, for example, a cardiovascular disease, a heart attack and even a stroke. Because hypertension has potentially dangerous consequences, especially when it is left unchecked, it is very important to know the which are main causes of hypertension so that you can determine whether you are at risk for this problem.

Types of Hypertension and the Causes

Before trying to understand the causes, you must first learn about the different types of this health condition.

• Primary hypertension - This is the most common type of high blood pressure. In this case, the cause is usually not identified, and the condition will gradually develop over a the years. With primary hypertension, the best treatment is to address the high blood pressure itself with medication and lifestyle changes. Primary hypertension is the most common type by far, meaning that the causes can rarely be identified. This is why it is important to also understand the risk factors of this condition, so that you will be better able to evaluate the likelihood that you will develop this medical problem.

• Secondary hypertension - In this case, the cause is often an underlying medical problem like congenital heart defects or kidney abnormalities. With secondary hypertension, the first line of treatment may be to treat the underlying condition.

 People are more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension if :

1. they have a family history of the condition,

2. if they are African American and

3. if they are over the age of 65.

4. However, just because you are a middle-aged white female with no family history, it doesn't mean that you will never be diagnosed it.

It is also important to ask your physician for regular screenings to be sure  that your blood pressure stays under control.

Hypertension is also often called the "silent killer", because the main causes of hypertension are rarely known and there are very few symptoms that will show up when the condition is present.

The best way to protect yourself from this potentially deadly condition is to :

• have regular screenings at your doctor's office or

• purchase a home blood pressure monitor so that you can use yourself.

While causes of hypertension may not be easily identified, you can do plenty to keep yourself safe from this serious medical condition. Please don't ignore it.

Return to Top - Main causes of hypertension

Return to Home