Hypertension - Special Concerns

Hypertensive emergency

A high blood pressure reading of 180/110 mm Hg, accompanied by symptoms such as blurred vision, severe headache, nausea and vomiting, seizures or severe chest pain, is considered dangerous and must be treated immediately.

Such a rise in blood pressure can be caused by an acute stroke, heart failure, heart attack, kidney failure, rupture of the aorta, eclampsia - or simply because people forget to take their hypertension medication.

High blood pressure at dangerous levels must be rapidly reduced, in order to avoid damage to vital organs. In such emergencies, blood pressure lowering medications are usually injected directly into the bloodstream. The immediate goal is to rapidly lower diastolic pressure to 100-105 mmHg.

Emergency blood pressure medications include Vasodilators, Alpha and Beta blockers and ACE inhibitors.

Hypertensive emergencies are rare, but can be life threatening.

Non-responsive hypertension

Some hypertensive people do not respond well to medications, or respond only partially. High blood pressure that cannot be lowered to a level of 140/90 mm Hg or below, even when the patient uses three different types of medication, is called Resistant or Refractory Blood Pressure.

The first step for dealing with this condition is to check with your doctor whether all the different possible combinations of pharmacological or non-pharmacological treatments have been tried. It usually takes some time and experimenting to find the ideal medical treatment. Some people may need to use three or even four different drugs to attain their blood-pressure goal.

People who suffer resistant hypertension should be conscious about nutrition, weight, exercise, substance abuse and stress management.