Hypertensive emergency

Hypertensive emergency
Other namesMalignant hypertension, hypertensive crises
CT scan depicting intracranial hemorrhage, a possible complication of hypertensive emergency. Patients with spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage present with newfound headache and neurologic deficits.
SpecialtyCardiology

A hypertensive emergency is very high blood pressure with potentially life-threatening symptoms and signs of acute damage to one or more organ systems (especially brain, eyes, heart, aorta, or kidneys). It is different from a hypertensive urgency by this additional evidence for impending irreversible hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD). Blood pressure is often above 200/120 mmHg, however there are no universally accepted cutoff values.[1][2][3]

  1. ^ Thomas L (October 2011). "Managing hypertensive emergencies in the ED". Canadian Family Physician. 57 (10): 1137–97. PMC 3192077. PMID 21998228.
  2. ^ van den Born B (January 2019). "ESC Council on hypertension position document on the management of hypertensive emergencies". European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy. 5 (1): 37–46. doi:10.1093/ehjcvp/pvy032. PMID 30165588.
  3. ^ Alley WD, Copelin II EL (20 November 2020). Hypertensive Urgency. StatPearls. PMID 30020723.