What is Secondary Hypertension?
A. More than 95 per cent of patients with high blood pressure have essential hypertension, which means that no specific cause can be found. The other 5 per cent are potentially the lucky ones, because many of them have a form of hypertension for which there is the possibility of a permanent cure. It is sometimes referred to as secondary hypertension because the hypertension is secondary to a specific abnormality, usually in the kidneys or adrenal glands; when this abnormality is corrected, the hypertension disappears. The commonest causes of secondary hypertension are: Renovascular hypertension (Renal artery stenosis)- blocked or narrowed artery to one or both kidneys. Aldosteronoma (Aldosterone secreting tumor)- a small benign tumor of an adrenal gland that secretes aldosterone, a blood pressure raising hormone. Pheochromocytoma- a tumor of an adrenal galnd that secretes norepinephrine and epinephrine, hormones that raise the blood pressure.
