Medical News

There are many people in the world today who are falling prey to high blood pressure. The chronic condition in which blood pressure is elevated is called hypertension. There are two types of hypertension and they are primary and secondary. The causes of primary hypertension have not yet been ascertained and there are a large number of people who suffer from this condition. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is the result of another condition that can be a kidney disease or the tumors of adrenal and pheochromocytoma. Those people who suffer from persistent hypertension are susceptible to strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, arterial aneurysm and are the major contributing factor to chronic renal failure.

According to a recent study that was conducted by the American Heart Association it was observed that around 90 to 95 per cent of hypertension cases have no causes in particular, however, there are factors that have contributed to high blood pressure. As one ages, the blood vessels in the body begin to constrict and this brings about a reduction in the volume of blood flow. This in turn results in an increased amount of pressure that is exerted by the blood so that it can pass through the narrowing blood vessels.

It had been also observed that people who have a darker skin tone are more prone to hypertension compared to people with a lighter skin tone. The researchers also observed that black people also have higher chances of developing other complications that are associated with hypertension like strokes and heart disease. The exact reason of the above fact has not yet been ascertained but medical statistics have shown these results. There are some genetic and hereditary factors that also lead in the etiology of hypertension. There are studies that have proved that it has the tendency to run in the family. Those with a family history of hypertension have the increased risk of developing the condition than those who do not. These heredity factors are responsible for the transmission of the condition from one generation to another.

Another contributing factor to the etiology of hypertension is smoking. This leads to increased blood pressure as the chemicals that are accumulated over the walls of the arteries and the blood vessels. Passive smokers also have the risk of getting hypertension and so it is advised to avoid smoking. There are also some other factors that contribute to the etiology of hypertension like deficiency of vitamin D, low potassium levels, excessive consumption of alcohol and stress.