High Blood Pressure - High Blood Pressure - Merck Manual Consumer Version

High blood pressure (hypertension) is persistently high pressure in the arteries.Often no cause for high blood pressure can be identified, but sometimes it occurs as a result of an underlying disorder of the kidneys or a hormonal disorder.Obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, stress, smoking, and excessive amounts of alcohol or sodium (salt) in the diet all can play a role in the development of high blood pressure in people who have an inherited tendency to develop it.In most people, high blood pressure causes no symptoms.Doctors make the diagnosis after measuring blood pressure on two or more occasions.People are advised to lose weight, stop smoking, and decrease the amounts of sodium and fats in their diet.Antihypertensive medications are given.To many people, the word hypertension suggests excessive tension, nervousness, or stress. In medical terms, hypertension refers to persistently high blood pressure, regardless of the cause. Because it usually does not cause symptoms for many years—u...