| Does anyone know what really causes high blood | | | | pressure than on people form families with mostly |
| pressure? It is quite difficult to distinguish whether | | | | low blood pressure. This will happen sooner in |
| symptoms stem from high blood pressure or are | | | | young people and later in middle-aged and elderly |
| just mere coincidences. Things are less simple for | | | | people. Evidence of these causes is consistent and |
| less obviously absurd cases.Studies show many | | | | convincing. However, that does not eliminate the |
| different kinds of secondary high blood pressure | | | | possibility of other causes present in some people, |
| where the primary causes may be quite different | | | | of which the most obvious and important are |
| from the continuing causes. An example is a rare | | | | psychical, psychological and social stresses.The |
| disease known as coarctation of the aorta, a | | | | theory that physical and psychological stress is |
| disease of the large artery carrying blood out of | | | | the root cause of most high blood pressure was |
| the heart. In this condition, the aorta is tightly | | | | very popular in the 1960s and 1970s, but |
| constricted a few inches beyond its origin and | | | | research since then has proved it not to be true. |
| then expands to its normal diameter. Undoubtedly, | | | | There may be a minority of people with high |
| blood pressure must rise above the constriction | | | | blood pressure, for whom it is the main cause, |
| and fall below it, just as it does when one | | | | but it fails to explain most cases. Extensive |
| compresses a hosepipe. Yet, if this constriction is | | | | studies have looked for an association between |
| removed surgically and the normal continuity of | | | | the so-called type A personality (people who are |
| the aorta is restored, blood pressure usually takes | | | | described as ambitious, aggressive and |
| several years to fall to normal level. The initial | | | | time-conserved) and high blood pressure, but |
| case of high blood pressure is the constriction, but | | | | none can be found. Instead, it was found that |
| the continuing cause is probably complex changes | | | | very nervous people have normal or even low |
| in circulating hormones, which function to maintain | | | | blood pressure but many easygoing people have |
| blood flow through the kidneys despite the | | | | dangerously high blood pressures. On the other |
| obstruction, which may persist for a long time | | | | hand, there is a tendency for some people with |
| even after the obstruction, has gone.Aside from | | | | depression to have raised blood pressures, falling |
| the genetic pathogenesis of the disease, there is | | | | when depression ends, either simultaneously or |
| profound evidence that there are several factors | | | | after treatment for depression. Obviously, there |
| which are true and independent causes of high | | | | are many other good reasons for avoiding social |
| blood pressure. These factors are obesity, high | | | | and psychological stresses, regardless of any ill |
| sodium intake, low potassium intake and a high | | | | effects on blood pressure. Even if they are not |
| alcohol intake. The effect they have varies in | | | | directly causing high blood pressure, they |
| most cases depending on heredity; they have a | | | | inevitably affect your capacity to cope with |
| much greater effect on people whose families | | | | treatment and you should make sure that your |
| have an increased prevalence of high blood | | | | physician is aware of them. |