The Pathophysiology of Disorders

Pathophysiology of Hypertension Name Institutional Affiliation Pathophysiology of Hypertension Hypertension is a condition caused by an elevation of blood pressure to an above normal level. It is said to be one of the major causes of morbidity and deaths in the US as a result of its association with cerebral vascular disease, renal disease, and coronary heart disease. The disorder target organ determines the severity of the condition. The main organs that are normally involved and produce severe consequences are the brain, heart, and kidney. As such, the article will provide a detailed pathophysiology of hypertension, factors that impact the disease pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Hypertension disorder can be classified as either essential also called primary or secondary hypertension. Primary hypertension accounts for 95 percent of hypertensive patients. However, the main cause of primary hypertension is not known and usually develops gradually over the years. Environmental factors, however, such as dietary, stress or obesity may increase the disorder’s chances of occurrence in people with genetically susceptible individuals at early ages (Sear, 2015). On the other hand, secondary hypertension is defined by higher blood pressure than primary and accounts for 5 percent of hypertensive patients. Its causes are identifiable and range from medications to other conditions such as kidney problem, thyroid problem, drugs such as cocaine and chronic alcohol use (Sear, 2015). Normally, blood pressure is a product of the cardiac output as well as the systemic vascular resistance. However, for patients with the hypertension disorder, there is an elevation in cardiac output and an elevation in systemic vascular resistance or even both (Sear, 2015). Regarding systemic vascular resistance, the resistance may be due to deposition of peptides such as endothelins or angiotensins and also as a result of an increase in alpha-adrenoceptor stimulation. As a result, there will be an augment in cytosolic calcium in the smooth muscle resulting in vasoconstriction. The increase in the mass of the smooth muscles is called vascular remodeling. Both an increase in the vascular stiffness and systemic vascular resistance increases the load quantity that is imposed in the left ventricle, resulting in the left ventricul...