Cardiac conditions

Hypertension

Hypertension is the medical term used for high blood pressure.

To make a diagnosis of hypertension it is necessary to demonstrate elevated blood pressure on a series of visits to your doctor. It is often helpful to undergo a home blood pressure monitor to give a series of true and accurate readings of one’s blood pressure outside a medical environment.

Whilst the majority of hypertension has no overt medical cause (primary/essential hypertension) in an important minority of patients there is a reversible cause for their hypertension (secondary). In view of this it is often necessary to undergo a series of painless investigations when one is first diagnosed with hypertension to determine whether one of these reversible causes is present.

In patients with essential hypertension good blood pressure can usually be gained with lifestyle modification and where necessary medications. Good blood pressure control is important as untreated hypertension predisposes individuals to heart disease, strokes, eye disease and kidney disease.