Primary Hypertension: Most people with high blood pressure – 95% – have what’s called primary or essential hypertension. This means that there’s no single clear cause of it.

Although there is no specific cause of essential hypertension, But you are also more likely to develop hypertension if you:

• are obese (very overweight)
• drink a lot of alcohol
• eat a lot of salt
• are under a lot of stress
• have stron family history.

Secondary hypertension
You may be among the other 5% of people with high blood pressure who have what’s known as secondary hypertension. This means your condition can be linked to a recognised cause – in fact, it may be a symptom of another underlying disease.

Secondary hypertension can be caused by:

• kidney disease
• adrenal gland disease
• narrowing of the aorta (Coarctation)
• Secondary hypertension can also be caused by the contraceptive pill (rarely), steroids, or by pregnancy causing pre-eclampsia.