Hypertension is another name for High Blood Pressure. The affect on one's health - is a range from mildly bothersome to quite drastic. There are many causes for hypertension.
Most of these are due to one's physiology allowing the conversion of an excess of angiotensin. This substance, angiotensin is responsible for elevated blood pressure. To counter this - one may be given a prescription for what is called an ACE Inhibitor. ACE stands for Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (Inhibitor).
Other, less common causes are: intimal hyperplasia, and vaso-constriction, along with many other minor causes. Intimal hyperplasia is where there is an excess thickening of the vein walls (the intima). Vaso-constriction is often a temporary condition in which the veins are constricted due to several causes. Some of these are - the production of neuro toxins that are the result of stress. There are many causes of vaso-constriction. Some are due to medications.
One specific cause of hypertension is due to the presence of nicotine. Temporarily - one's blood pressure is raised for a period of time during and after smoking. At the same time - due to vaso-constriction the body temperature is lowered.
Hypertension then affects the health of a person by potentially causing infarcts - disruptions of the blood vessel operation. Infarct of a vein in the brain may cause stroke. Infarct of a coronary vein may cause a heart-attack (myocardial infarction or MI).
So - hypertension is not to be lightly regarded. It can be dangerous for the person who has this condition.
Regards, NeuroPath