Secondary hypertension is high blood pressure that results from an identifiable underlying cause, distinguishing it from primary (essential) hypertension, which has no single discernible origin. It accounts for a minority of hypertensive cases but is clinically important because correcting the underlying condition c…
Secondary hypertension is high blood pressure that results from an identifiable underlying cause, distinguishing it from primary (essential) hypertension, which has no single discernible origin. It accounts for a minority of hypertensive cases but is clinically important because correcting the underlying condition can substantially improve or resolve the elevated pressure. Common causes include renal parenchymal and renovascular disease, endocrine disorders such as primary aldosteronism, pheochromocytoma, thyroid dysfunction, and Cushing syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, coarctation of the aorta, and certain medications. Secondary hypertension is often suspected when blood pressure is resistant to multiple agents, when it presents at an unusually young age, when it is severe or abrupt in onset, or when accompanied by features pointing to a specific disorder. Because chronic kidney disease both causes and results from sustained hypertension, the relationship between renal impairment and blood pressure regulation is a recurring focus, including how blood pressure patterns differ by kidney disease stage and how diurnal variation, such as dipping versus non-dipping profiles, reflects cardiovascular risk. Evaluation also considers vascular consequences measured through markers like carotid intima-media thickness and cardiac changes detectable on imaging. Research and clinical practice emphasize systematic identification of treatable causes, integrated and coordinated care models, and tailored pharmacologic strategies, since accurate diagnosis of secondary hypertension can prevent progression to target-organ damage and cardiovascular complications.
10 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 10 articles above have been cited 5 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Secondary Hypertension, linking to each citing work.