Health's Book

Definition

Essential hypertension refers to high blood pressure with no identifiable cause.

Symptoms

Usually, high blood pressure has no symptoms at all. That is why it is often called the "silent killer." Millions of people have high blood pressure and many do not even know they have this serious condition.

Rarely, you may experience a mild headache when your blood pressure is elevated. If your headache is severe, or if you experience any of the symptoms below, you must be seen right away because these may be a sign of dangerously high blood pressure (called malignant hypertension) or a serious complication (like a heart attack).

* Fatigue
* Confusion
* Visual changes
* Nausea and vomiting
* Anxiety
* Perspiration
* Pale or red skin
* Angina-like pain, crushing chest pain

Note: There are usually no symptoms.