Secondary hypertension is caused by:

• A. Lifestyle changes only
• B. Unchangeable genetic factors
• C. An underlying disease process or medication that raises peripheral vascular resistance or cardiac output
• D. High salt intake without other conditions

Answer: (C)

Secondary hypertension comes from an identifiable cause that directly raises blood pressure, either by increasing peripheral vascular resistance or by boosting cardiac output. This means there’s a specific disease process or a medication pushing BP up through mechanisms like vasoconstriction, sodium retention, or increased heart rate and force of contraction. Examples include renal or endocrine disorders, renovascular hypertension, pheochromocytoma, sleep apnea, and drugs such as NSAIDs, decongestants, stimulants, or certain hormones. Because there’s a concrete, treatable cause, this form of hypertension is distinguished from essential hypertension, which arises from a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors without a single identifiable culprit.