Major Triggers of Hypertension Disorder

Adrenal Gland Tumors

Secondary hypertension can be caused by an adrenal gland tumor that influences the hormone levels in an affected individual's body. A tumor that develops in one or both of the adrenal glands can cause healthy adrenal cells to produce an excessive quantity of aldosterone or the hormone that influences the levels of sodium in an individual's body. High aldosterone causes the patient's kidneys to hold on to water and salt while simultaneously excreting too much of an essential electrolyte called potassium. This malfunction disrupts the individual's healthy fluid balance and raises their blood pressure.

A different type of tumor that may also occur in one or both of an individual's adrenal glands is called a pheochromocytoma. This type of adrenal gland tumor can increase a patient's production of noradrenaline and adrenaline. Adrenaline and noradrenaline are the hormones associated with an individual's fight or flight response. Both adrenaline and noradrenaline are hormones that cause short-term blood pressure spikes in the affected individual that can lead to long-term hypertension.

Congenital Blood Vessel Defects

An individual who has congenital blood vessel defects commonly experiences hypertension as a result of their disease. Most blood vessel defects an individual is born with involve problems with the main blood vessels that stem out of the patient's heart. Coarctation of the aorta is a defect that causes the major artery that moves blood from the heart to the rest of the body or the aorta to become too narrow and causes an increase the patient's blood pressure. Patent ductus arteriosus is a defect where the individual's ductus arteriosus never closes up. This malfunction causes some of their blood to skip the route to the lungs for oxygen.

Patent ductus arteriosus can result in pulmonary hypertension or high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries that take blood to the lungs. Truncus arteriosus is a defect of the pulmonary arteries and aorta that also causes an excess of blood flow into the patient's lungs. The excess blood flow results in high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries can be life-threatening. It is easy for congenital blood vessel defects to disrupt the healthy blood volume balance in the body, which results in blood pressure issues.