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Hypertension or high blood pressure is generally categorized as primary or secondary hypertension. Primary hypertension, also called essential hypertension, is high blood pressure without any identifiable cause. Yes, that’s right. We don’t know the exact reason folks get high blood pressure. Primary hypertension accounts for over 90% of all high blood pressure cases in adults. Secondary hypertension is high blood pressure that results from a known cause. The most common causes of secondary hypertension are specific medications, kidney disease, endocrine disease, sleep apnea, and several other conditions. Secondary hypertension is responsible for less than 10% of all hypertension. You should consult your doctor to determine whether you have any signs or symptoms that would warrant further evaluation for your type of hypertension. Of note, there are specific types of hypertension in specific organs, such as pulmonary hypertension in your lungs and ocular hypertension in your eyes. But we are not referring to those types of hypertension here. Primary and secondary hypertension here refers to high blood pressure in your entire body.
