What Are the Causes of Malignant Hypertension?

Malignant hypertension is a the sudden and rapid development of extremely high blood pressure. Blood pressure readings include two numbers. The lower number is the diastolic blood pressure, the pressure when the heart is relaxed rather than beating. Malignant hypertension occurs when the diastolic pressure spikes. Though dangerous, this condition has a variety of causes, which may act as warning signs.

Incidence

• Malignant hypertension is a relatively rare condition, only occurring in about 1 percent of people who suffer from high blood pressure. The condition affects both the young and old, but it is more common in young adults with high blood pressure and especially young African American men.

Other Occurences

• Other people who suffer from a higher-than-usual occurrence of malignant hypertension include: women who have toxemia of pregnancy (high blood pressure and protein in the urine that develop after the 20th week of pregnancy), people with kidney disorders, and those who suffer from collagen vascular disorders. Also at risk are people who have suffered kidney failure or who have had renal hypertension caused by renal artery stenosis.

Causes

• Malignant hypertension most often affects those who already have regular hypertension, or high blood pressure. Like high blood pressure, the exact cause of malignant hypertension isn't known.

Symptoms

• Malignant hypertension can have a variety of symptoms, including blurred vision, cough, headache, nausea, chest pain (often a crushing pressure in the mid-chest area), seizure, shortness of breath and weakness.

Treatment

• When a doctor diagnoses malignant hypertension, he will usually check the patient into a hospital for treatment. The doctor will give the patient intravenous drugs to bring the hypertension under control, and if the lungs contain any fluid, he give the patient diuretics to help the body naturally remove that fluid. To treat heart damage, if any, the doctor may prescribe additional medication. Once the malignant hypertension has been controlled, the patient will have take hypertension medication to keep it under control.