title: [Management of severe arterial hypertension].
abstract: Severe arterial hypertension is defined as a systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥180 mmHg and/or a diastolic BP ≥ 110 mmHg. Initial assessment is to identify acute, ongoing, target-organ damage such as pulmonary edema, aortic dissection, ... (hypertensive emergency). If so, the patient requires urgent and specific management in a hospital setting. More commonly, however, BP in the severe range is relatively asymptomatic and not associated with end-organ damage (hypertensive urgency). Management can usually be carried out in the ambulatory setting. Severe hypertension should first be confirmed after a period of rest in a quiet room. If BP remains in the severe range, an antihypertensive drug can be initiated. Otherwise, the patient should be referred for further evaluation within a few days ; however, an antihypertensive treatment could be started immediately if there is concern that urgent outpatient follow-up cannot be ensured or if the patient is at high cardiovascular risk. The choice of the first drug should be tailored according to associated conditions and possible contraindications. Some guidelines recommend starting therapy with an antihypertensive combination of two drugs. In all cases, rapid and excessive reduction in BP, which could compromise organ perfusion, must be avoided, especially in elderly patients. In the short-term (days), BP should be progressively lowered to < 160/100 mmHg. In the long term, a BP < 140/90 mmHg should be obtained.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leeman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000628:therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents