Pathophysiology

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is not a disease in itself, but a symptom of another problem. There are several causes of hypertension. It can be related to the kidneys, the vascular system, or the endocrine system. It can be diet related (i.e., smoking, high sodium diets) or a side effect of medication. There's hypertension due to narrowed arteries, fluid overload, and vasoconstriction.

Perhaps the reason why you're having trouble understanding the patho is because you're trying to look at hypertension as one single disease, when really it's the result of some other process. I'd start by making a list of all the reasons you can find that a person might have hypertension. What causes it? Then you can delve deeper into each item on the list and figure out how that condition causes high blood pressure. I think this will rally help you break it down and understand it better.

Makes sense ashleyIt's about an assessment we have to do around hypertension and in the scenario. It mentions he has a high bmi. Drinks 30+units a week. Smokes 35 a day. And does not excercise and works long days. So attempt to relate hypertension to each one of these factors rather than just looking at it as a whole picture ( one disease ) ?

Google is your friend. Just finding credible sources ain't always the easiest and making sense of it allAware no specific cause been found in essential hypertention but didn't Ashley mean along the lines of Smoking causes a narrowing of blood vessels therefore excessive ammount means bp would be higher as body needs need work harder to do its job

Yes, you're on the right track. Systolic blood pressure it a measure of the force exerted by the blood as it's pushed through the arteries, so it's related to how much force the heart has to use to move the blood. Diastolic blood pressure is a measure of the pressure in the veins when the heart is relaxed.

Your patient smokes, which causes vasoconstriction. So think about how the pressure changes when the same amount of blood has to go through a smaller diameter tube. He also is overweight, which could indicate poor diet choices. Look up the relationship between a high fat/high cholesterol diet and high blood pressure. Stress can cause hypertension, so research that connection as well.

Esme is right that there is a medical diagnosis of hypertension with know known cause, but in most cases you can find clues in your patient's history and assessment that point you toward what is causing the increase in BP.