The Incidence of Hypertensive Crisis in a Tertiary Hospital

Hypertension is the most widespread disease nowadays and one of the most common causes of visits and emergencies with significant acute and chronic morbidity. The aim of the study to asses the incidence of the hypertensive crisis. The mean age of patients was 58.4 (13.2) years.63 % of patients were males and 37 % females.27 (24.3 %) of patients manifested stage I hypertension, 39 (35.1 %) stage II and 45 (40.5 %) stage III (fig.1). The complaints most frequently attributed to high BP were headache (42.5 %), dyspnea (27.8 %), chest pain (19.2 %), dizziness (35.1 %), vomiting (8.6 %), epistaxis (3.7 %) and neurologic deficit (4.2 %). Hypertensive crisis was observed in 36 patients (32.4 %) and all were classified as hypertensive urgencies. Complications were observed in 43 (38.7 %) of patients with hypertensive crisis. Hypertensive crisis is a clinical entity associated with high morbidity in the emergency room. Adequate control of blood pressure is crucial to prevent permanent damage to organs.