1. Heriditary Factor : Commonly seen in the children of hypertensive patients, twins. This is due to abnormality in trans-cellular sodium transport which is one of the genetic defect.
2. Mental Stress: Stress in everyday life is one of the most common aetiological factors found in now a days life style.
3. Dietry Factor: Excessive intake of Salt and Fats in rich diet throgh pickles, papads,fast foods etc. and over use of salt in daily diet.
4. Low Potassium diet :

• Alcohol : Alcoholics often suffer from hypertension. Although alcohol does not have any direct effect on hypertension, yet it effects indirectly and is seen during the withdrawl stage which is mediated by sympathetic nervous system.
• Obesity : Caused due to more salt,fat and crbohydrate intake and sedentary habits.
• Smoking.

Factors for Secondary Hypertension can be:-

1. RENAL:- Hydronephrosis, Renal Artery Stenosis, Glomerulo-Nephritis Polycystic renal disease, Diabetes.
2. ENDOCRINAL:-Cushing's syndrome, Adrenal Carcinoma, Hyperparathyroidism, Hypothyroidism, Pheochromocytoma.
3. CARDIO - VASCULAR: - Raised Systolic pressure in Aortic Regurgitation or in Complete Heart Block, Coarctation of Aorta.
4. CEREBRAL:- Cerebral Trauma, Encephalitis, Increased Intracranial Pressure due to any causes, Bulbar Poliomyelitis.
5. TOXIC:- Toxaemia of Pregnancy, Intake of Oral Contraceptives Steroids or Lead toxicity, Estrogen therapy.
6. POLYCYTHEMIA VERA:-
7. DRUGS INDUCED :- Out of all these mentioned types, essential hypertension is commonly seen. Most of the times such causes are ignored and patient comes with the complications.

Most symptoms of hypertension generally start after a patientknows that he/she has HT. Usually it is asymptomatic. In early stages thehypertension is fluctuant. It rises to abnormal levels under the influence ofemotional changes etc. and later on it becomes permanently elevated even atrest.

• Occasionally patient may complain of vaguecomplaints like Headache, which is usually occipital which starts on waking andimproves with the day.
• Heaviness of head
• Giddiness
• Palpitation
• Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnoea.
• The commonest presentation is patient says thatnowadays I feel very angry or the accompanying person tells that he/she feelsvery angry and agitated on trivial matters, so please check my or his/her BP.

• Weight reduction in obese patients.
• Low Sodium diet.
• Salt restriction
• Stress management
• Moderation of Alcohol and Smoking.
• Psychological factors should be looked into and treated first.
• Avoidance of Physical Strain.
• Rest and Relaxation.
• Moderation of physical activity.
• Strenuous exertions, sudden and prolonged stress should be restricted or stopped.
• Change in the outlook and life style.
• Inclusion of Yogasnas, preferably under the guidance of an expert (Padmasana, Dhanurasna, Matsyasana and Shavasana are supposed to be the best for the HT patients.

• Complete Blood Count
• Urine routine
• Serum Creatinine
• Serum Cholesterol
• E.C.G.

Role of Homeopathy in tackling a case of Acute Hypertension

BLOOD PRESSURE

This is a case of 49 year old housewife, Mrs. Kain. Her daughter is a patient of Dr. Sanket Gupta and on one of such visits she had come to see him at his clinic in Satya Niketan, Moti Bagh. While she was sitting inside the chamber and narrating her complains to the doctor, she received a call from her house and she immediately became panicky. The call was from her father who told her that her mother was having shooting pain in her head and was crying with pain. As she was an old hypertensive, they checked her blood pressure. The reading was 220/130mm of Hg. Even on checking the blood pressure again after 5 minutes, the reading was still the same.
The terrified girl told everything to Dr. Sanket and asked him if he could help her with anything to stop the agony of her mother. Dr. Sanket gave her some medicines to give to her mother at an interval of every 5 minutes and advised her to rush her mother to the hospital as there was a definite danger of stroke. Luckily she was staying nearby so she could immediately go home and medicate her mother. They decided to take her to the nearby Primus hospital in Chanakya Puri.
She kept giving the homoeopathic liquid medicines to her mother all along the way. Within this half an hour itself she started feeling relaxation in her head and by the time they reached the emergency section of the Primus hospital and a nurse checked her blood pressure, her BP had come down to 156/104mm of Hg! The hospital doctors kept her under observation for 2 hrs after listening to the narrative of her family. The girl though kept giving the same Homoeopathic medicines to her mother, though at longer intervals of 20 minutes each. The doctor had asked the nurse to check her BP every half an hour. With every reading there was a gradual and steady decline in the Blood pressure of the 49yr old woman. Seeing that the BP was now well maintained and out of danger, the doctor asked her family to take her back home.
At this time a much relieved girl called Dr. Sanket to thank him and tell him that her mother was doing fine now and was much much better with the final reading being 132/90 mm of Hg when they left from the hospital. Since that day, Mrs. Kain became a fan of homoeopathy and now takes regular Homoeopathic treatment for all her ailments.

MRS. KAIN
New Delhi