Essential hypertension

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Hypertension

Lifestyle changes

Monitoring blood pressure

Untreated hypertension

Essential hypertension refers to high blood pressure with no identifiable cause.

Hypertension - essential

As blood is pumped through your body, it exerts pressure on the walls of your arteries. The systolic blood pressure is the pressure against these walls when the heart contracts, and the diastolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart relaxes. When you get a blood pressure reading, you are told the systolic pressure/diastolic pressure.

For example, normal blood pressure is below 120/80.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, occurs when the systolic pressure is consistently over 140 mm Hg, or the diastolic blood pressure is consistently over 90 mm Hg. Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood pumped, by the actions of the heart, and by the size and condition of the arteries. Many other factors can affect blood pressure including the water volume in the body; salt content of the body; condition of the kidneys, nervous system, or blood vessels; and various hormone levels in the body.

Prehypertension is when your systolic blood pressure is between 120 and 139 or your diastolic blood pressure is between 90 and 99. If you have prehypertension, you are likely to develop high blood pressure at some point. Therefore, your doctor will recommend lifestyle changes to bring your blood pressure down to normal ranges.

African Americans of both sexes and Caucasian males have a higher rate of significant hypertension. While essential hypertension has no correctable cause, some genetic factors have been identified.

Review Date: 09/26/2005
Reviewed By: Glenn Gandelman, M.D., M.P.H., Cardiologist, White Plains, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.