Causes of High Blood Pressure

In most cases, there are no specific causes of high blood pressure. Factors such as being overweight, smoking, and having diabetes can increase a person's risk of developing this condition, but they are not high blood pressure causes in and of themselves. High blood pressure without an identifiable cause is known as primary or "essential hypertension."

 

High Blood Pressure Causes: An Overview

In most people, a single, specific cause of high blood pressure is not known. This is called primary or essential hypertension. In other people, high blood pressure is the result of another medical problem or medicine. When the cause of high blood pressure is known, this is called secondary high blood pressure.
 
If a person is diagnosed with high blood pressure, it doesn't mean that he or she is "too nervous," overanxious, or obsessive. This is a popular myth. High blood pressure is not nervous tension. In fact, many people who are perfectly calm have high blood pressure.
 

Causes of High Blood Pressure: Primary Hypertension

For 9 out of 10 people, there is no identifiable cause of high blood pressure. This is called "primary hypertension" or "essential hypertension." Most people with primary hypertension don't even realize that they have it; the majority of people with high blood pressure feel no different from those who have normal blood pressure. That's why high blood pressure is often called "the silent killer."
 

Causes of High Blood Pressure: Secondary Hypertension

In 1 out of 10 people, the cause of high blood pressure is known.
 This is called secondary hypertension. Some conditions that can cause secondary hypertension include:
 
  • Sleep apnea
  • Preeclampsia
  • Pheochromocytoma (a tumor of the adrenal gland)
  • Cushing's syndrome (a hormonal disorder)
  • Aldosteronism (a condition in which adrenal glands produce too much of the hormone aldosterone)
  • Hypothyroidism (the thyroid doesn't produce enough hormones)
  • Hyperthyroidism (the thyroid produces an excess of hormones)
  • Coarctation of the aorta (narrowing of the aorta)
  • Hyperparathyroidism (excessive production of parathyroid hormone by the parathyroid glands)
  • Acromegaly (a metabolic disorder caused by too much growth hormone)
  • Certain medicines, such as birth control pills
  • Kidney disease (such as polycystic kidney disease or glomerulonephritis).
     

Causes of High Blood Pressure: Know the Risk Factors

While not specific causes of high blood pressure, there are certain traits that increase a person's chance of developing high blood pressure. These factors are known as high blood pressure risk factors and include:
 
  • Having diabetes
  • Being a male over the age of 45 (or a female over the age of 55)
  • Being overweight
  • Eating a lot of salty foods
  • Being of African-American descent.
     
Although more men have high blood pressure than women, women do increase their risk of hypertension if they take birth control pills.
 

What Makes High Blood Pressure Worse?

High blood pressure can be made worse by different things. A few factors that can make high blood pressure worse include:
 
  • Smoking
  • Excessive alcohol consumption
  • A diet high in fat and/or salt
  • A lack of exercise
  • Prolonged and poorly managed stress.
     
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD