Clinical signs of secondary hypertension

Secondary causes of hypertension are uncommon and account for less than 5% of all cases of high BP in an unselected hypertensive population.

The remaining 95% of the cases have no known cause and are called idiopathic primary or essential. Secondary hypertension is usually associated with a specific organ and /or vascular abnormalities, a metabolic abnormality or endocrine disorder.

Among the sign and symptoms of secondary hypertension
*Multiple vascular risk factors, abdominal bruit, unexplained renal insufficiency, resistant hypertension
* Very high blood pressure — systolic blood pressure over 180 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or diastolic blood pressure over 120 mm Hg
*Proteinuria, renal dysfunction, nocturia, peripheral edema
*Hypokalemia
*Hematuria
*Daytime fatigue, sleepiness, snoring, large neck size
*Occipital headache
*Proximal weakness, diabetes, truncal obesity
*Associated nausea and vomiting
*Early onset hypertension. The documented early (less than age 30 years) or late (more than age 50 years) onset of hypertension is thought to raise the possibility of secondary forms of hypertension.
*Headache
Clinical signs of secondary hypertension