Exactly How Much Of A Problem Is Secondary Hypertension?
When we are talking of hypertension it is vital to understand exactly what form of hypertension we are talking about.
High blood pressure is the most diagnosed condition in the United States today and it is estimated that it affects around 72,000,000 Americans, which includes one out of every three adults. However, when we are talking about high blood pressure, were you aware that there are in fact two different types of hypertension?
The vast majority of individuals suffer from what is officially termed primary or essential hypertension which invariably has few, or no, symptoms and often develops gradually over several years. A much smaller, but nevertheless still significant, number of individuals suffer from secondary hypertension which is born out of an underlying medical condition and will sometimes present with an extremely rapid onset.
There are a variety of different medical conditions which can spark secondary hypertension but listed below are several of the more commonly found causes:
Thyroid Problems. Excess or insufficient hormone production from the thyroid gland, experienced in conditions like hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, can, either directly or indirectly, result in a rise in blood pressure.
Kidney Problems. The kidneys are composed of millions of minute blood vessels and other structures which are designed to filter waste products from the blood. When this process of filtering is upset, in the case of hydronephrosis or Polycystic kidney disease, one consequence is secondary hypertension.
Dietary Supplements. Many commonly available dietary supplements, like St John's wort and ginseng, can produce hypertension.
Obesity. Increasing weight is not infrequently accompanied by an increase in heart rate, as your heart is put under pressure to pump an increasing volume of blood around the body, and a consequently raised pressure on the walls of your arteries.
Sleep Apnea. The constant interruption to your breathing arising from sleep apnea results in oxygen deprivation which causes damage to the lining of your blood vessels and affects the elasticity necessary within these vessels to control blood pressure.
Of course this list is not exhaustive and could also have included such items as prescription and over-the-counter medicines, Cushing's syndrome, preeclampsia, diabetes and much more.
Hypertension, whether it is primary or secondary, is a serious medical problem which can result in the development of other life-threatening conditions like heart disease, cardiovascular disease and kidney failure.
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