Clinical features

• neurological
  • cerebral infarction (see stroke chapter)
  • intracranial haemorrhage or subarachnoid haemorrhage
  • hypertensive encephalopathy
• cardiovascular causes
  • acute pulmonary oedema or acute congestive heart failure
  • acute MI or unstable angina
  • aortic dissection
  • coarctation of the aorta
  • renovascular hypertension
• eclampsia 

Why?

Stroke, heart failure and hypertensive encephalopathy are the commonest examples of end-organ damage

end-organ damage associated with hypertensive emergencies	% (95% CI)
cerebral infarction c	24% (16% to 32%)
acute pulmonary oedema	22% (14% to 30%)
hypertensive encephalopathy	17% (9.6% to 24%)
acute congestive heart failure	14% (7.4% to 20%)
acute MI or unstable angina	12% (5.9% to 18%)
intracranial haemorrhage or subarachnoid haemorrhage	4.6% (0.7% to 8.6%)
eclampsia	4.6% (0.7% to 8.6%)
aortic dissection	1.9% (0.0% to 4.4%)