Causes

In about 10% of cases high blood pressure can be caused by another medical problem, such as kidney disease. When this happens, the condition is called "secondary hypertension." As the name indicates, treating the main problem makes the blood pressure go down. Some of the main causes for secondary hypertension are chronic kidney diseases, diseases in the arteries supplying the kidneys, chronic alcohol abuse, hormonal disturbances and endocrine tumours. In 90% of per cent cases, the cause is unknown. This is called 'primary or essential hypertension'.