By far the most common cause of hypertension is essential hypertension, and that isprobably the cause in this patient. Because the patient is black, salt sensitivity may be acontributory factor. Other relatively common causes are diffuse renal disease,medications, renal arterial disease, and neurologic disorders. Less commonly,coarctation of the aorta, mineralocorticoid excess, glucocorticoid excess, andcatecholamine excess can cause hypertension.