The 3 Types of Hypertension

There are three types of high blood pressure:

Essential hypertension: No specific treatable cause.  This is the case for most people suffering from hypertension.

Secondary hypertension: When the cause of hypertension is another underlying condition, such as a kidney disorder.  Usually, when the underlying cause is taken care of the blood pressure returns to a normal level.

Pregnancy related hypertension:  Some women develop high blood pressure when they are pregnant.  Others experience complications because of pre-existing hypertension.  Either way is very serious matter and can cause low birth weight, early delivery, or preeclampsia.  Preeclampsia affects the placenta, and can also affect the mother’s brain, liver and kidneys as well as causing fetal complications such as the ones just mentioned.  If a woman has preeclampsia it can lead to eclampsia, which is the second leading cause of death of pregnant women in the United States.

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/about.htm

http://www.bloodpressureanswersonline.com/index.html

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