High blood pressure is not exclusive to the elderly; young people may experience an increase in blood pressure in response to emotional stress, strenuous exercise, and the use of certain medications that stimulate an increase in blood pressure.
If young people experience persistent high blood pressure, pathological high blood pressure should be considered. A higher proportion of this group has secondary hypertension, such as kidney disease, pheochromocytoma and primary aldosteronism, which can lead to high blood pressure and need to be seen promptly and treated aggressively for the cause.