title: Clinical review: the management of hypertensive crises.
abstract: Hypertension is an extremely common clinical problem, affecting approximately 50 million people in the USA and approximately 1 billion individuals worldwide. Approximately 1% of these patients will develop acute elevations in blood pressure at some point in their lifetime. A number of terms have been applied to severe hypertension, including hypertensive crises, emergencies, and urgencies. By definition, acute elevations in blood pressure that are associated with end-organ damage are called hypertensive crises. Immediate reduction in blood pressure is required only in patients with acute end-organ damage. This article reviews current concepts, and common misconceptions and pitfalls in the diagnosis and management of patients with acutely elevated blood pressure.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary and Critical Care Section, Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Varon
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Marik
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003422:Critical Care; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents