or high blood pressure
Condition in which blood pressure is abnormally high.
Over time, it damages the kidneys, brain, eyes, and heart. Hypertension accelerates atherosclerosis , increasing the risk of heart attack , stroke , and kidney failure . More common in the elderly and blacks, it usually has no symptoms but can be detected by a routine blood-pressure test. Secondary hypertension, caused by another disorder (most often kidney disease or hormone imbalance), accounts for 10% of cases. The other 90% have no specific cause (essential hypertension). A low-salt diet, weight loss, smoking cessation, limited alcohol intake, and exercise can prevent or treat hypertension or reduce medication if drug therapy proves necessary. Malignant hypertension, a severe, rapidly progressing form, requires emergency treatment with drugs to dilate the blood vessels.