High Blood Pressure
What Causes High Blood Pressure?
In order to understand the causes of
high blood pressure, you need to understand the causes of each type
of high blood pressure separately.
There are two types of high
blood pressure or hypertension:
Primary (Essential)
Hypertension
Secondary Hypertension
Primary or Essential Hypertension
Essential hypertension is
the condition when a specific cause for high blood pressure cannot be
located. It is a common condition affecting almost 95 % of high blood
pressure patients. Though the cause of primary hypertension is
unknown, it is believed that several factors like genes, environment,
and many more like these cause this type of hypertension.
Approximately 75 million Americans suffer from primary
hypertension.
Here are some basic causes of primary
hypertension:
1) Family history: Primary hypertension
can be genetic or hereditary. But researchers have not been able to
recognize the genes responsible for hypertension yet.
2) Type 2 Diabetes: It is a well known fact that there is a strong
association between diabetes and hypertension. Obesity, kidney
damage, and insulin resistance are also believed to be the causes of
essential hypertension.
3) Innate aberration in the
sympathetic nervous system: The sympathetic nervous system
controls the heart rate, blood pressure, and the diameter of the
blood vessels. Any abnormality in this system may account for this
type of hypertension.
4) Obesity: Obesity can lead to
structural changes in the kidney and abnormal control of sodium. This
can also lead to essential hypertension.
5) Low Levels of
Nitric Oxide: Nitric oxide, a gas, influences the smooth muscle
cells that line the blood vessels and help keep them flexible and
prevent blood clotting. But when the level of nitric oxide goes down,
it can cause essential hypertension.
Secondary Hypertension
Secondary hypertension is
caused due to several medical conditions. One such condition is
kidney diseases. Kidney diseases include:
1) Polycystic
kidney disease: In this condition cysts form in the kidneys.
These cysts often disrupt the normal functioning of the kidney and
raise the blood pressure.
2) Glomerulonephritis: Glomerulonephritis is the inflammation of the
kidney filter. Because of the inflammation, glomeruli are unable to
function normally, which may lead to high blood pressure.
3) Hydronephrosis: At times, certain parts of your kidney get
plugged. This condition is called Hydronephrosis. Hydronephrosis
prevents the smooth flow of urine and subsequently raises the blood
pressure.
4) Sleep apnea: In this medical condition
breathing halts briefly but repeatedly during your sleep.
Apart
from these, there are some other medical conditions also that cause
temporary hypertension. These include pregnancy, cirrhosis, and
Cushing's disease.