Types of high blood pressure
There are two main types of high blood pressure:
Essential (primary) hypertension
- The main form of high blood pressure – accounts for around 90–95% of cases
- Has no single identifiable cause
- Potential causes include genetic and environmental factors (See box below)
Secondary hypertension
- Rare forms of high blood pressure
- Caused by another medical condition or treatment
- Causes include kidney problems (renovascular hypertension), adrenal gland tumors, thyroid disease, and narrowing of the aorta (the main artery that takes blood from the heart to the rest of the body)
Other types of high blood pressure include:
- Isolated systolic hypertension – the systolic pressure (top number) is raised but the diastolic pressure is normal
- Isolated diastolic hypertension – the diastolic pressure (bottom number) is raised but the systolic pressure is normal
- White coat hypertension – where the blood pressure is raised due to the stress of a visit to the doctor or nurse
