What is secondary high blood pressure?
Secondary hypertension is a condition in which blood pressure rises due to a direct consequence of an underlying disease such as kidney disease, endocrine disorders, sleep apnea, or the use of certain medications. According to Dr. Abhijit Borse, a cardiologist at Fortis Hospital, Mumbai (India), this type of hypertension accounts for about 10% of all cases of hypertension in adults. Treating underlying causes can help blood pressure return to normal.
Common causes
Nephropathy: Reduces blood flow to the kidneys, causing the body to react by increasing blood pressure.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD): When kidney function is impaired, sodium and water excretion is limited, causing edema and high blood pressure.
primary aldosterone increase (Con syndrome): The adrenal glands produce too much aldosterone, leading to sodium retention and high blood pressure.
Cushing's syndrome: Due to prolonged high cortisol levels, often caused by thai tumors or abuse of steroids.
Adrenal spondylitis: catecholamine secretion increases heart rate and blood pressure.
Thyroid disorders: Symptoms and hypothyroidism can both affect blood pressure by increasing heart rate or increasing blood vessel resistance.
Obstructive sleep apnea: This is a disorder that causes high blood pressure, especially at night, due to prolonged activation of the emotional nervous system.
Symptoms
Most patients do not have obvious symptoms. Some symptoms that may occur include:
Headache, especially in the morning
Flower eyes, blurred vision
Difficulty breathing if you have heart or kidney disease
Red face, thoracic surgery, sweating
Many times at night
Secondary hypertension is not common but can be treated if detected early and the cause is properly intervened. Therefore, regular blood pressure checks and check-ups when there are unusual signs are very necessary, especially for young people, or uncontrolled blood pressure after treatment.
