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Hypertensive crisis. Clinical presentation, comorbidities, and target organ involvement

Rashed Al-Bannay1, Aysha A Husain

  • 1Cardiology Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Salmaniya Medical Complex, PO Box 12, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. abdullarashed@yahoo.com

Saudi Medical Journal
|August 18, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Hypertensive crisis, particularly hypertensive emergency, is linked to diabetes mellitus and symptoms like shortness of breath and neurological deficits. Most patients had prior hypertension, highlighting the need for better management.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Internal Medicine
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Hypertensive crisis is a serious medical condition requiring prompt evaluation.
  • Understanding clinical presentation and comorbidities is crucial for effective management.
  • Previous studies have not fully characterized hypertensive crisis in the Bahraini population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the clinical features and associated comorbidities of hypertensive crisis.
  • To differentiate between hypertensive urgency and hypertensive emergency in the study cohort.
  • To identify risk factors and predictors of hypertensive crisis.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort-based study was conducted from January to April 2009.
  • Included 154 patients admitted with severe hypertension (systolic >179 mm Hg, diastolic >119 mm Hg).
  • Data analysis focused on clinical presentation, comorbidities, and outcomes.

Main Results:

  • 64.3% experienced hypertensive urgency, while 35.7% had hypertensive emergency.
  • The 45-65 age group constituted 56% of patients; men were more affected than women (100:54).
  • Shortness of breath and neurological deficits were associated with hypertensive emergency; headache and blurred vision with urgency. Diabetes mellitus was an independent risk factor.

Conclusions:

  • The majority of patients with hypertensive crisis had pre-existing hypertension.
  • Diabetes mellitus is a significant predictor of hypertensive crisis.
  • Dyspnea and neurological deficits strongly correlate with hypertensive emergencies, underscoring their severity.
Abstract

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