The heart pumps blood to all parts of the body through the blood vessels. As blood from the heart travels through the body, it exerts a certain amount of force against the walls of the blood vessels known as blood pressure. When this blood pressure is high, hypertension occurs. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute reports that one in three adult Americans has hypertension. Hypertension is classified based on its cause and characteristics.
Essential Hypertension
Harvard Health Publications reports that 90 to 95 percent of people who have hypertension suffer from essential hypertension, which is also known as primary hypertension. The cause of this type of hypertension is unknown and it develops gradually over a period of many years.
Secondary Hypertension
Secondary hypertension describes a type of hypertension whose cause can be identified and possibly treated. "Reversing Hypertension: A Vital New Program to Prevent, Treat, and Reduce High Blood Pressure," by Julian Whitaker, says that a history of substance abuse, chronic kidney disease, congenital defects of the aorta, renal artery stenosis and Cushing's disease are some common causes of secondary hypertension.
White Coat Hypertension
A situation where a patient usually has normal blood pressure readings until he visits a doctor's office is called white coat hypertension. In this case, individuals experience hypertension when they are in a doctor's office but not when they are at some other location.
Resistant Hypertension
Resistant hypertension occurs when a person with hypertension shows no improvement after being treated with anti-hypertensive medications and lifestyle changes. This condition may be caused by the consumption of caffeine, alcohol or licorice, as well as panic attacks, kidney damage, weight gain, fluid retention and chronic or ongoing pain.
Malignant Hypertension
Malignant hypertension is a medical emergency. It is characterized by a sudden rise in blood pressure that is accompanied by dramatic symptoms such as chest pain, blurred vision, blindness, a severe headache, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, seizures, nausea, vomiting and loss of consciousness.
Pre-eclampsia
Pre-enclampsia is a type of hypertension that occurs during pregnancy. The reason for its occurrence is unknown and it usually disappears after childbirth. Some signs of pre-eclampsia are swelling of the hands and face and protein in the urine. Pre-eclampsia can progress to a more severe form known as enclampsia, where seizures, a coma and death of both the mother and fetus can occur.
References
- "Reversing Hypertension: A Vital New Program to Prevent, Treat, and Reduce High Blood Pressure"; Julian Whitaker; 2001
- "Transcultural Geriatrics: Caring for Elderly People of Indo-Asian Origin"; Partha Ghosh, Shahid Anis Khan; 2005
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: High Blood Pressure
- Harvard Health Publications: Types of Hypertension
