Obesity is one factor as well as smoking, excessive sodium intake, elevated serum lipids and alcohol intake. Stress may result in increased in sympathetic nervous system activity. In all of these cases hypertension and hypertensive crisis can be prevented or controlled. Even though not many people with hypertension experience hypertensive crisis, there are still a significant number of events. Any patent may have a diastolic pressure over 120 mm Hg is suffering from a hypertensive urgency.
Hypertensive crisis occurs once organs are damaged.
A hypertensive emergency is further characterized by end organ damage, while hypertensive urgency is characterized by a lack of end organ damage. Secondary hypertension is hypertension caused from another disease such as renal disease, toxemias of pregnancy, or adrenal cortex lesions. Some of the early symptoms of hypertension may include dizziness, flushed face, epistaxis, tinnitus, and headache. There is a common misconception that hypertensive crisis usually occurs secondary to other problems. It may also be caused by renovascular hypertension, and renal parenchymal diseases.