Hypertension (also known as high blood pressure) is a chronic medical condition in which the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries is consistently elevated, typically defined as a sustained reading of 130/80 mmHg or higher (with stage 1 at 130–139/80–89 mmHg and stage 2 at ≥140/90 mmHg, per current guidelines). It is often called the “silent killer” because it frequently produces no noticeable symptoms for years, even as it damages blood vessels, the heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes. When severe or long-standing, it can cause headaches (especially morning or occipital), dizziness, blurred vision, nosebleeds, shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, or confusion, but most people remain asymptomatic until complications arise. Primary (essential) hypertension, accounting for ~90–95% of cases, develops gradually without a single identifiable cause and is influenced by genetics, aging, high salt intake, obesity, physical inactivity, stress, excessive alcohol, smoking, and poor diet. Secondary hypertension results from an underlying condition such as kidney disease, adrenal gland disorders (e.g., primary aldosteronism), sleep apnea, thyroid problems, certain medications, or coarctation of the aorta. Untreated or poorly controlled hypertension significantly increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, aortic aneurysm, chronic kidney disease, peripheral artery disease, and vision loss from hypertensive retinopathy.