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Hypertension

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Hypertension, also referred to as high blood pressure, HTN or HPN, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated. In current usage, the word "hypertension" without a qualifier normally refers to systemic, arterial hypertension.

Hypertension can be classified as either essential (primary) or secondary. Essential hypertension indicates that no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient's condition. About 90-95% of hypertension is essential hypertension. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of (i.e., secondary to) another condition, such as kidney disease or tumours (adrenal adenoma or pheochromocytoma).

Persistent hypertension is one of the risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm, and is a leading cause of chronic renal failure. Even moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure leads to shortened life expectancy. At severely high pressures, defined as mean arterial pressures 50% or more above average, a person can expect to live no more than a few years unless appropriately treated. Beginning at a systolic pressure (which is peak pressure in the arteries, which occurs near the end of the cardiac cycle when the ventricles are contracting) of 115 mmHg and diastolic pressure (which is minimum pressure in the arteries, which occurs near the beginning of the cardiac cycle when the ventricles are filled with blood) of 75 mmHg (commonly written as 115/75 mmHg), cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk doubles for each increment of 20/10 mmHg.

For more information about Hypertension, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with hypertension

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High blood pressure easy to miss in children with kidney disease

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 20, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Spot blood pressure readings in children with chronic kidney disease often fail to detect hypertension - even during doctor's office visits — increasing a child's risk for serious heart problems, according to research from ...


At-risk college students reduce HBP, anxiety, depression through Transcendental Meditation

Medicine & Health / Health

created Nov 18, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The Transcendental Meditation® technique may be an effective method to reduce blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and anger among at-risk college students, according to a new study to be published in the American Journal of ...


Medication improves health of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 17, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

In one of the few studies of the long-term effects of medication in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) disease, a team of researchers found the health and exercise capacity of PAH patients improved after ...


Doctors' tests often miss high blood pressure in kids with kidney disease

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 12, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Many children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who show normal blood pressure readings at the doctor's office have high blood pressure when tested at home, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of ...


Key player identified in cascade that leads to hypertension-related kidney damage

Key player identified in cascade that leads to hypertension-related kidney damage

Medicine & Health / Research

created Nov 05, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A key player in a cascade that likely begins with stress and leads to high blood pressure and kidney damage has been identified by researchers who say the finding may lead to better ways to control both.


High fructose corn syrup: A recipe for hypertension

Medicine & Health / Research

created Oct 30, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (9) | comments 12

A diet high in fructose increases the risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension), according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San ...


AMD drug and IOP; getting good eyeglasses to those in need

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Oct 26, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A first-time finding of intraocular pressure increases in patients with no personal or family history of glaucoma following anti-VEGF treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and a report on a simple, low-cost ...


Researchers reverse pulmonary arterial hypertension in mouse models

Medicine & Health / Research

created Oct 25, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have identified a key protein that promotes the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension in humans and mice. This groundbreaking discovery has implications for ...


Learning the risks for stroke -- and taking action

Medicine & Health / Other

created Oct 23, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The theme of this year's World Stroke Day on 29th October is "What can I do?". As the World Stroke Organization says, everyone can do something: learn to recognise symptoms and take action, learn to recognise the risk factors ...


Accelerated bone growth may be an indicator of hypertension in children

Medicine & Health / Health

created Oct 20, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Children whose bones are "older" than their chronological age may be at an increased risk of hypertension, according to a study reported today in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association. As a result, the in ...


Never Too Old to Keep Blood Pressure in Check

Medicine & Health / Health

created Oct 15, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Treating hypertension in adults 60 years old and older can help them live longer, healthier lives, according to an updated review.


Cost effectiveness of blood pressure device evaluated

Medicine & Health / Research

created Oct 15, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A study conducted by the University of Rochester Medical Center demonstrates that, for certain patient populations, an experimental device that lowers blood pressure may be a cost effective treatment. The implantable device, ...


Treatment can allow birth despite dangerous disorder

Medicine & Health / Health

created Oct 08, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

It's a decision that an expecting mother should never have to make: Abort your unborn child and save your own life or deliver the baby and face possible death a few days later.


Vitamin D deficiency in younger women increases risk of high blood pressure

Medicine & Health / Health

created Sep 24, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Vitamin D deficiency in premenopausal women may increase the risk of developing systolic hypertension 15 years later, according to research reported at the American Heart Association's 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference.


Researchers seek clues to high blood pressure's origins, impacts

Medicine & Health / Research

created Sep 17, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

How high blood pressure develops and the effects it has on the body are the focus of a two-part study underway at Penn State and Johns Hopkins University that will look at hypertension in the human body and in the laboratory.