Hypertension is often associated with additional risk factors for your health. It is able to provoke cardiovascular problems, up to heart attacks and strokes. High blood pressure is thought to be directly related to kidney problems, although they may become apparent only after a long while. Elevated blood pressure means additional load on your heart and potential damage to your blood vessels. Moreover, the higher blood pressure is, the graver the consequences may be.

In 90–95 percent of patients it is impossible to find out the exact cause of elevated blood pressure. Healthcare professionals refer to such a state as primary (or essential) hypertension. 75 million of people in America only have got diagnosed primary hypertension.

Although it is the most common problem with blood pressure, primary hypertension still requires additional research. By now, scientists think that essential hypertension is caused by a whole bunch of various factors including environmental and hereditary issues. If earlier high blood pressure was untypical for children and adolescents, now it is diagnosed even in young patients. The causes of it are usually unknown.

At least several of the reasons for growing blood pressure are already known. For now they include artery wall thickening (hypertrophy), hardened arteries (arteriosclerosis), contracted arterioles (small arteries). Good news is that effective treatment methods are also available, both natural and medical.