Causes
- Arterial stiffness
- elevated peripheral vascular resistance
- renal sodium handling defects
- sympathetic overdrive
Symptoms
- Mostly asymptomatic — the "silent killer"
- extreme spikes cause morning occipital headache
- nosebleeds
- vision blur
- dizzy spells
Risk Factors
- High sodium intake
- obesity
- chronic stress
- tobacco smoking
- excessive alcohol
- physical inactivity