Secondary Hypertension Part 1

Secondary hypertension is an increase in blood pressure that is caused by a known medical disorder. Secondary hypertension infact accounts for less than 5% of all cases of hypertension. The majority of cases of high blood pressure are due to an unknown cause and is known as essential hypertension.

The most common causes of secondary hypertension include disease of the kidneys, blood vessels, heart, endocrine system or pregnancy. Unlike essential hypertension, secondary hypertension can occur abruptly but if the offending condition is treated, the hypertension can be reduced.

Like essential hypertension, secondary hypertension has no specific signs or symptoms. The majority of individuals will have no idea that they have high blood pressure. A few individuals may complain of a headache, generalized fatigue, dizziness or a nose bleed. These symptoms are usually seen in the later stages when the blood pressure has been uncontrolled for many years.

While there is no way to immediately tell if one has secondary hypertension, a few clues to the presence of the condition may be the following:

- High blood pressure that fails to respond to conventional anti hypertensive drugs
- Extremely high systolic and diastolic blood pressure
- Sudden failure of the blood pressure medications to work
- Onset of blood pressure in individual less than 20 and more than 50 years of age
- Development of blood pressure without any family history

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