Essential hypertension is a type of blood pressure that consistently remains higher than usual for no apparent cause. About 95 percent of patients with high blood pressure have essential hypertension. Some treatments can effectively lower the blood pressure in several individuals but not in everybody, which points to undiscovered causes of hypertension.

Several factors can trigger elevation in blood pressure. Internal factors include the state and size of the arteries, the blood volume pumped by the heart, condition of the kidneys, salt and water content, blood vessels or nervous system, and hormonal levels within the body. External factors can be stress, overeating, smoking, and alcohol intake, salt content of diet, heredity, race, gender and age.

Patients suffering from essential hypertension usually show no symptoms. Patients may sometimes experience dizziness, mild headache, nausea and some cases vomiting, visual changes, nose bleeds, and chest pains resembling angina aches.

Doctors advise several changes in life-style to reduce mild or moderately elevated blood pressure. To treat essential hypertension the patient might need to shed some weight, by following a healthy diet and exercising. The patient should also try to reduce stress, quit smoking and limit alcohol intake.

There are also medicines for reducing blood pressure that patients may use, such as antihypertensive and diuretics. However, in various cases, blood pressure stays high despite using drugs and making lifestyle changes.