Acute Hypertension

In people suffering from hypertension, the heart pumps with a rate that is faster than normal and the arteries start becoming narrower. Acute hypertension harbors the risk of several health issues including heart attack and stroke. Hypertension can be categorized into two forms. The first is known as the primary hypertension, which is the common type that affects most people. This type in general has no such specific causes to its onset, and it tends to develop gradually over many years. The other type is known as the secondary hypertension and it is related to the presence of some underlying medical conditions in the body. Unlike the primary one, this type has a sudden onset and that is why, it can also be regarded as an acute hypertension.

What Causes Acute Hypertension?

As mentioned, cases of primary hypertension accounts for around 90-95 percent of people. On the other hand, secondary or acute hypertension is found in 5-10 percent. The blood pressure in this type, tends to be higher than that which is caused by the primary one. Major causes include abnormalities in the kidneys. Any kind of malfunctioning in the working of the kidneys is manifested through symptoms of hypertension. People suffering from congenital heart disease are also prone to experience this condition, and so are those who are in a habit of taking drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines. Adrenal gland tumors are also commonly responsible for causing the blood pressure to rise to a severely high level. Medicines such as birth control pills, over-the-counter medications and many other types are als some of the offenders.

Symptoms

Generally, this illness of hypertension is asymptomatic in nature. Meaning, most people who are suffering from the condition may not show any signs or symptoms as such. In some cases, even if the blood pressure has reached to a critical stage, symptoms may not occur. So, in such cases, going for a blood pressure reading every two years, starting from the age of 20, would be a wise thing to do. However, in some cases, symptoms might show up in the early stages of the condition. They include dizziness, dull headaches, fatigue and erection problems. Other than these, there might be symptoms like nosebleeds, tinnitus, blurred vision and heart palpitations.

Treatment

The severity of hypertension and the presence of other medical conditions are some of the factors which influence the type of the treatment. There are several kinds of hypertension medications which you may be prescribed to, by your doctor. These medicines have to be in conjunction with some changes in the diet and inclusion of exercises. Medications which may be commonly recommended include diuretics, beta blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ace) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, calcium channel blockers and renin inhibitors. It may happen that people might not benefit from the use of these medications. So in such cases, alpha blockers, alpha-beta blockers, central-acting agents and vasodilators are some medicines which may be of some help.

High blood pressure could lead to severe repercussions, irrespective of it being acute or chronic. That is why one must follow the complete course of medications which have been recommended for the treatment, and other recommendations from the caregiver.