Blood Pressure

Causes of Condition

Effects / Symptoms

High Blood Pressure

• May be of unknown cause
  (essential hypertension, or hyperpiesia)
• May result from kidney disease, including narrowing of the renal artery (renal hypertension)
• Or endocrine diseases (such as Cushing's disease or phaeochromocytoma)
• Or disease of the arteries (such as contraction of the aorta) - which is known as secondary, or symptomatic hypertension.

More general contributory factors are :

• Stress, Obesity, Age, Social Class, Smoking, Lack of exercise, Poor diet.

• Damage to arteries & veins.
• Holes get blocked up by cholesterol.

Hypertension is symptom-less until the symptoms of its complications develop.

These include :

• Atherosclerosis
• Heart failure
• Cerebral haemorrage
• Kidney failure.

Low Blood Pressure

Can occur following:

• Excessive fluid loss (e.g. through diarrhoea, burns or vomiting)
• Severe blood loss (haemorrage) from any cause.

Other causes may include:

• Myocardinal infarction
• Pulmonary embolism
• Severe infections
• Allergic reactions
• Arrhythmias
• Acute abdominal conditions (e.g. pancreatitits)
• Addisons disease
• Drugs (e.g. an overdose of the drugs used to treat hypertension).

Temporary Hypotension:

• Simple faint (syncope)
• Light-headed
• Sweats
• Impaired conciousness

Severe Hypotension:

• Peripheral circulatory failure (cardiogenic shock)
• Unrecordable blood pressure
• Weak pulses
• Suppression of urine production