The technical name for high blood pressure, hypertension is an insidious and dangerous condition. It is insidious because there are usually no symptoms until it is at a life threatening level. It is dangerous because of the many serious effects it has on the body, including heart problems and stroke. Learning the various causes of this condition is helpful for learning to avoid developing high blood pressure and to learning to live with it should we have it.

When is hypertension or high blood pressure bad? When it is caused by kidney disease or when it is accompanied or causes such things as heart disease, strokes or arterial aneurysm. Chronic hypertension can put patients at risks of such things and other potentially deadly or worsened conditions.

Causes Of Hypertension

There are many different types of hypertension and the reason for having each of them varies. The type of hypertension that has no known cause is called essential (or primary) hypertension. There have though been some factors offered as possible causes and these include genetics, hormones, the environment and salt levels. Having an immediate family member with hypertension certainly puts you in a higher risk category and you should be careful to make any changes advised by your doctor to prevent it.

High LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol - This leads to the formation of fatty deposits on the arterial walls; these deposits block the arteries and provide hindrance to smooth blood flow, causing high blood pressure. These fatty deposits harden over a period of time to form a plaque, making the arterial walls thick, hard and inelastic (arteriosclerosis/atherosclerosis), aggravating the problem of hypertension.

An increased blood volume caused by elevated levels of salt and lipids in the blood holding back water.

Hardened and inelastic blood vessels caused by arteriosclerosis.

Adrenal tumors that are causes of secondary hypertension are pheochromocytoma, primary aldosteronism, and Cushing's syndrome. The last two types of adrenal tumors require complicated treatment, which unfortunately is not always effective in lowering blood pressure while removal of the pheochromocytoma has a better chance of treating hypertension.

Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension

The signs and symptoms of hypertension, or high blood pressure as it is also known as, include blood pressure readings that are consistently more than 140/90. Pre-hypertension is present when your blood pressure readings are consistently between 120-139/80-89. Although this does not mean you have hypertension, it is a good indicator that you will most likely develop high blood pressure in the future.

Blurred Vision - This is a classic hypertension symptom.

Confusion - Buzzing In The Ears - Blood In Your Urine - These are also additional signs and symptoms of hypertension.

Some patients experience a mild or heavy, consistent headache, especially a pulsating headache behind the eyes. Dizziness and flushed/red face are also symptoms of hypertension. People with severe hypertension experience blurred or impaired vision and fits or black outs.

Treatment For Hypertension

In the past decade, various organizations have strongly recommended the insistent reduction of blood pressure among patients as the leading and primary approach to treating hypertension. However, a meeting in 2000 of various cardiologists emphasized the more updated and holistic treatment for hypertension. It further stressed that decreasing and maintaining appropriate blood pressure is not enough.

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