Screening for newly elevated blood pressure in an emergency unit setting

We found a prevalence rate of elevated blood pressure readings in our sample of 86 nonacute EU patients without history of hypertension that was similar to that reported by the author of a previous study (Franklin, 1987) done in the same setting and continue to advocate the use of the EU as a site for hypertension screening. However, the noted prevalence rate in this and other samples may not accurately reflect the true prevalence of elevated readings or true hypertension in this population. Most of the elevated readings in our study were in the borderline or mild categories, and many of the readings on subsequent visits were normal. Although patients with a newly elevated blood pressure during an EU visit should certainly be advised to have their blood pressure followed, further controlled study is needed to determine the true prevalence of previously undetected hypertension in nonacute EU patients.