Hyper Tension Revealed

Hypertension is the formal term for high blood pressure. While blood pressure may be high at different periods of time, hypertension refers to sustained high blood pressure. This condition is often associated with increased risk of stroke and heart attack.

What causes hypertension is often a mystery. Though there are some standard causes such as obesity and smoking, often, hypertension has no known cause. The condition is referred to as essential hypertension when there is no known medical cause. When a cause is known, it is referred to as secondary hypertension.

A person’s lifestyle and environment have a large bearing on what causes hypertension in each specific case. Sodium intake is one of the most common factors. A person’s sodium intake has a direct effect on his or her blood pressure.

Obesity is another of the largest causes of hypertension. Like sodium intake, obesity is directly correlated with hypertension. To help control high blood pressure, people are often told to lose weight and limit the amount of sodium in their diets.

Sometimes, however, neither of these factors are the cause of hypertension. High blood pressure is one of the most common complex genetically inherited conditions present in today’s society. A vast number of genes play a role in determining whether a person will have hypertension or not.

A vast chasm between essential and secondary hypertension is present in regard to what is know about each of them. A great deal is known about the causes of secondary hypertension, primarily because something cannot be considered in the secondary category unless its cause is known. Very little is known about the causes of essential hypertension, once again, primarily because something cannot be considered in the essential category unless its cause is not known.

While what causes hypertension cannot always be determined, there is a way to determine if the condition is present. A blood pressure test is the standard way to gauge the severity of the situation. Otherwise, there are no warning signs for hypertension.

Hypertension itself is not harmful. It is the secondary results that are dangerous to health: stroke heart attack, heart failure, damage to the retina, and chronic renal failure. Hypertension often must be treated in order to prevent these secondary, dangerous conditions.

Many medications are available to treat this condition. Pills cannot determine what causes hypertension, but they can help treat the condition. Many different blockers and inhibitors play a part in attempting to eliminate hypertension: ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, alpha-blockers, receptor antagonists, and calcium channel blockers are all used. Part of the reason for such a wide assortment of drugs is that the real reason for hypertension is not known.

Though it is clear that such things as obesity and smoking are correlated with hypertension, it is unclear what exactly about them actually causes the hypertension. Continued medical research into this phenomenon constantly takes place because of the tremendous risks associated with the condition. While what causes hypertension cannot be known, everyone can do something to help prevent hypertension: exercise, eat healthy, and relax.