Hypertension Hypertension Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a condition in which a person's blood pressure is persistently above normal. Incidence of hypertension is higher in blacks than in whites and increases with age in all groups. It plays an important role as a risk factor in disease.
Symptoms are rare.
High blood pressure is usually discovered during a routine examination. However, a very high blood pressure causes headache, heart failure, and vision disturbances. In more than 90 percent of patients, the cause remains unknown. Such patients are said to be suffering from essential hypertension. Among the known causes, however, are kidney disease, diseases of the arteries, and tumors, such as those of the adrenal gland.