Question

Which are subtypes of hypertension that are based on etiology?

Answer 1

Hypertension is a persistent rise in blood pressure than normal. The average normal adult blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg (120 is the systolic and 80 is the diastolic pressure) and the pressure exceeding 140/90 is considered as high blood pressure. Depend upon the severity, hypertension is classified as follows.

Blood pressure (mm Hg)	Category
< 120/80	Normal
120- 135/ 80- 89	Prehypertension
>140/90	Hypertension
140-159/90-99	Stage 1
>160/100	Stage 2

Hypertension is of two types based on the etiology:

1. Essential hypertension
2. Secondary hypertension

In essential hypertension, the etiology is not clearly known, many factors may be responsible for the development of hypertension. The treatment strategy is to be established through trial and error method and the final titer combination of drugs is to be established for therapeutic monitoring.

In secondary hypertension, the reasons are known; it may be due to the defective mechanisms at the level of baroreceptors, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAS) system, habitual factors, and environmental factors such as stress and lifestyle. In these cases, by identifying the reasons behind hypertension, definite classes of drug treatment can be established.