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Sub-Category:

Hypertension-related Conditions

Number of Conditions: 1

Hypertensive Emergencies

Specialty: Emergency and Urgent Care

Category: Cardiac Emergencies

Sub-category: Hypertension-related Conditions

Symptoms:
severe headache; chest pain; shortness of breath; blurred vision; confusion; nausea or vomiting; seizures

Root Cause:
Critically elevated blood pressure (typically >180/120 mmHg) causing acute end-organ damage (e.g., heart, brain, kidneys, or eyes).

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Blood pressure measurement, clinical signs of end-organ damage, lab tests (renal function, electrolytes), and imaging (e.g., CT for stroke, ECG for cardiac involvement).

Treatment:
Immediate blood pressure reduction using intravenous antihypertensives and addressing the specific end-organ damage.

Medications:
IV antihypertensives like nitroprusside (vasodilator), labetalol (beta-blocker), nicardipine (calcium channel blocker), or hydralazine . Oral antihypertensives are introduced later.

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Occurs in about 1-2% of patients with chronic hypertension.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Poorly controlled hypertension, noncompliance with antihypertensive medications, kidney disease, and pregnancy (e.g., eclampsia).

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Depends on promptness of treatment; delayed care can result in severe complications.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Stroke, myocardial infarction, aortic dissection, acute kidney injury, and retinal damage.