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Essential hypertension (also called primary hypertension, or idiopathic hypertension) is a form of hypertension without an identifiable physiologic cause. [1] [2] It is the most common type affecting 85% of those with high blood pressure. [3] [4] The remaining 15% is accounted for by various causes of secondary hypertension. [3]
The pathophysiology of hypertension is an area which attempts to explain mechanistically the causes of hypertension, which is a chronic disease characterized by elevation of blood pressure. Hypertension can be classified by cause as either essential (also known as primary or idiopathic) or secondary. About 90–95% of hypertension is essential ...
Benign hypertension or benign essential hypertension are medical terms now considered obsolete, but once used to describe mild to moderate hypertension (high blood pressure). These historical terms are considered misleading, [1] as hypertension is never benign. Coonsequently, the terms have fallen out of use (see history of hypertension).
Primary (also termed essential) hypertension results from a complex interaction of genes and environmental factors. More than 2000 common genetic variants with small effects on blood pressure have been identified in association with high blood pressure, [43] as well as some rare genetic variants with large effects on blood pressure. [44]
Other medications for high blood pressure and a low salt diet, e.g. DASH diet, may also be needed. [1] [4] Some people with familial hyperaldosteronism may be treated with the steroid dexamethasone. [1] Primary aldosteronism is present in about 10% of people with high blood pressure. [1] It occurs more often in women than men. [5]
Secondary hypertension (or, less commonly, inessential hypertension) is a type of hypertension which has a specific and identifiable underlying primary cause. It is much less common than essential hypertension , affecting only 5-10% of hypertensive patients.
Hypertension or high blood pressure affects at least 26.4% of the world's population. [15] Hypertensive heart disease is only one of several diseases attributable to high blood pressure. Other diseases caused by high blood pressure include ischemic heart disease, cancer, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, aneurysms and kidney disease.
A hypertensive emergency is very high blood pressure with potentially life-threatening symptoms and signs of acute damage to one or more organ systems (especially brain, eyes, heart, aorta, or kidneys). It is different from a hypertensive urgency by this additional evidence for impending irreversible hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD).