Acute bilateral optic disk edema with a macular star figure in a 12-year-old girl

A 12-year-old girl developed headaches and bilateral optic disk edema due to malignant hypertension. Optic disk edema in most of these cases is probably on the spectrum of ischemic optic neuropathy rather than increased intracranial pressure.

G-protein beta3 subunit gene (GNB3) polymorphism 825C-->T in patients with hypertensive crisis

OBJECTIVE

The polymorphism 825C-->T in exon 10 of the gene GNB3 encoding the beta3 subunit of heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding regulatory proteins (G-proteins) results in a splicing variant (GNB3-s) in which the nucleotides 498-620 of exon 9 are deleted. The T allele has been shown to be overrepresented in patients with essential hypertension. Because GNB3-s may support the development of severe elevation of blood pressure, we hypothesized that GNB3 825C-->T may be present more frequently in patients with hypertensive crisis.

DESIGN

Case control study.

SETTING

Department of Emergency Medicine at the University Hospital of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.

PATIENTS

A total of 174 patients admitted to an emergency department for treatment of hypertensive crisis diagnosed as suffering from essential hypertension.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Patients were genotyped for the 825C-->T transition in GNB3. An equal number of age- and gender-matched normotensive, healthy individuals served as the control population. The allele frequency of 825C-->T in the GNB3 gene was 0.310 in patients with hypertensive crisis and 0.342 in the control group. There was no difference in genotype distribution and allele frequency between the patients and the age- and gender-matched control group or between the observed prevalence and the occurrence rate expected from the Hardy-Weinberg principle within each group.

CONCLUSIONS

GNB3 825C-->T is not associated with the phenotype of hypertensive crisis in patients suffering from essential hypertension. Furthermore, our data do not support the concept that the 825C-->T transition in the GNB3 gene is associated with essential hypertension.

Fenoldopam, a dopamine agonist, for hypertensive emergency: a multicenter randomized trial. Fenoldopam Study Group

Despite successful therapies for chronic hypertension, hospital admissions for hypertensive emergency more than tripled between 1983 and 1992.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the safety and efficacy of fenoldopam, the first antihypertensive with selective and specific action on vascular dopamine (DA1) receptors, in a clinical trial involving emergency department patients with true hypertensive emergencies.

METHODS

Patients with a sustained diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of > or =120 mm Hg and evidence of target organ compromise were randomized in a double-blinded manner to one of four fixed doses of intravenous fenoldopam (0.01, 0.03, 0.1, or 0.3 microg/kg/min) for 24 hours. The primary endpoint was the magnitude of DBP reduction in each of the three higher-dose groups after four hours of fenoldopam treatment compared with the lowest-dose group.

RESULTS

One hundred seven participants from 21 centers were enrolled, and 94 patients received fenoldopam. Evidence of acute target-organ damage included new renal dysfunction or hematuria (50%), acute congestive heart failure or myocardial ischemia (48%), and papilledema or grade III-IV hypertensive retinopathy (34%). The DBP decreased in a dose-dependent fashion, with significant differences between the 0.1- and 0.3-microg/kg/min groups compared with the lowest-dose group. Treatment was well tolerated, and there were no deaths or serious adverse events during follow-up, up to 48 hours. All patients were successfully transitioned to oral or transdermal antihypertensives with maintenance of blood pressure control.

CONCLUSIONS

Fenoldopam safely and effectively lowers blood pressure in a dose-dependent manner in patients with hypertensive emergencies. Observations supporting potential risk factors for hypertensive emergency are discussed.

[Therapy of hypertensive crises]

Hypertensive crisis is defined as an extreme elevation of arterial blood pressure, with diastolic pressure > 120 mm Hg, and represents an imminent risk to the patient. In such cases, a rapid orientating diagnosis and adequate antihypertensive treatment to avoid sequelae are needed, sometimes even before diagnostic tests are completed. Hypertensive emergencies and hypertensive urgencies can be distinguished. If the critical increase in blood pressure is associated with end-organ damage such as encephalopathy, acute left heart failure and pulmonary edema, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction or dissecting aortic aneurysm, a hypertensive emergency is present, that is an acute threat to the patient's life. A hypertensive emergency requires effective lowering of blood pressure within minutes, but not necessarily to normal range. The choice of suitable antihypertensive agents depends on clinical symptoms, contraindications, duration of pressure elevation and underlying conditions, prior cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and renal disorders. The risk of imminent end-organ damage must be weighed against the risk of rapid blood pressure lowering. In hypertensive urgencies without end-organ complications, blood pressure can be lowered more slowly over several hours, often with oral agents to avoid detrimental fall in blood pressure. The drugs of choice are mainly urapidil i.v. and nitroglycerine.

Coccygeal fracture, constipation, convulsion, and confusion: a case report of malignant hypertension in a child

Malignant hypertension is an unusual but well described cause of seizures in pediatrics. It is a medical emergency that must be recognized and emergently treated to prevent morbidity and mortality. In contrast to adults, hypertension in children is usually secondary to an underlying disease process. We present a complex case of hypertensive encephalopathy with seizures as the initial presentation of a pelvic mass, describe the initial work-up and stabilization and present an overview of the literature. Review of the medical literature described only one similar presentation (1). Interestingly, acute symptoms in this patient may have been precipitated by use of an over-the-counter medication.

Recurrent malignant hypertension: a report of two cases and review of the literature

Malignant hypertension (MHT) is a rare and life-threatening condition which is defined clinically as severe hypertension accompanied by bilateral retinal haemorrhages and/or hard exudates, with or without papilloedema. If untreated, the prognosis of MHT is poor. With MHT being a relatively rare condition, it would be unusual to see it on more than one occasion in the same patient. We describe in detail two cases from a disease register of 400 cases of MHT seen in one medical centre over 33 years.

[Hypertensive crisis: definition, pathophysiology and treatment]

Hypertensive crises are currently subdivided into hypertensive emergencies and urgencies depending on the acuteness with which the elevated blood pressure has to be lowered. Malignant hypertension, defined as severe hypertension and a hypertensive fundus grade III or IV, can present itself as an emergency or an urgency. For a hypertensive emergency intravenously acting blood pressure lowering agents are almost always required, whereas an urgency can usually be treated with oral agents. In view of the danger of cerebral hypoperfusion, blood pressure reduction during the initial treatment phase of a hypertensive crisis should not be more than 20 to 25%. Agents that exert a controllable blood pressure lowering action are preferred. Controllable blood pressure lowering cannot be achieved with nifedipine capsules. The practice of biting and swallowing a nifedipine capsule for the treatment of a hypertensive crisis therefore is to be discouraged.

[Malignant hypertension in a young man with renal artery occlusion diagnosed with magnetic resonance angiography]

A male aged 22 years developed a hypertensive crisis with encephalopathy after his antihypertensive medication had been discontinued with a view to extended diagnostics. Immediate intensive treatment led to rapid and complete recovery. By using gadopentetate acid enhanced magnetic resonance angiography it is possible to obtain a clear image of the morphology of the kidneys and the renal vasculature without the use of iodinated contrast media and arterial catheterisation. This technique revealed an occluded renal artery and a recent infarction that possibly had led to the serious and threatening events.

Hypertensive crisis. How to tell if it's an emergency or an urgency

Hypertensive crisis occurs when critically elevated blood pressure is accompanied by diastolic pressure greater than 120 to 130 mm Hg. The presence of acute or ongoing end-organ damage constitutes a hypertensive emergency, which requires reduction of blood pressure within minutes to hours to avoid catastrophic outcomes. Critically elevated blood pressure without end-organ damage is known as a hypertensive urgency, which is generally treated over 24 to 48 hours in a closely monitored outpatient setting. Although hypertensive crises are relatively rare, most primary care physicians will eventually encounter them. Thus, for optimal patient outcomes, it is important to be aware of appropriate treatment options as well as the impact of potential complications on management.

[Scleroderma renal crisis. 7 cases and review of the literature]

We report a series of seven patients who had scleroderma renal crisis. Their primary clinical and laboratory features along with the details of their management were compared with those of similar cases from the literature. The seven patients died within one to four months of the diagnosis with a pattern of acute renal failure, left ventricular failure and malignant hypertension. Histopathologic examination was performed in four of the patients, in two of whom it revealed thickening of the wall of the interlobular arteries related to the scleroderma, and in the other two patients nonspecific lesions of malignant hypertension. This histopathologic particularity led us to propose, on the basis of multiple renal biopsies performed in patients with scleroderma, a lesion chronology of the kidney in patients with scleroderma. Nevertheless, the triggering factors and pathophysiologic mechanisms of scleroderma renal crisis remain unclear and its prognosis is severe. Early treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and other vasodilatators administered intravenously can prevent death and dialysis.

[Hypertensive crisis and its treatment]

Hypertensive crises threaten, due to the rapid rise of blood pressure the patient's life by cerebral, cardiovascular and renal complications. It may cause left-sided heart failure, dissection of the aorta, cerebral haemorrhage, renal failure. Patients with hypertensive crises are admitted to intensive care units with the possibility of systematic monitoring of the pulse rate, BP, ECG, diuresis and other vital functions. Treatment is started immediately by injections (usually i.v.) of antihypertensive drugs while monitoring the BP, vital functions and the general condition. At first small amounts of antihypertensives are administered and, depending on the BP, the dosage is adjusted. The recommended safe drop of BP which should be achieved within one hour is 100-110 mm Hg of diastolic BP or a 20% drop of the initial pressure. Concurrently with injections oral administration of antihypertensives is started. Correct treatment leads in the majority of patients to regression of hypertension and of acute danger to the patient's life. On the other hand, inadequate treatment threatens the patients with fatal complications.

[Thoughts on hypertensive encephalopathy after an atypical case]

Nowadays hypertensive encephalopathy is rare. A patient of 49 with neurological symptoms that are not classical for this syndrome is presented. While treating the hypertension the neurological symptoms disappeared. The necessary condition for the development of this syndrome is a fast rise of arterial pressure that is followed by intra-cranial edema. The edema is incited by vasodilatation that appears at tensions above the limits of cerebral autoregulation. It is recommended to treat the patients in an intensive care unit. Without treatment the patient will die.

Occipital lobe seizures as the major clinical manifestation of reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome: magnetic resonance imaging findings

PURPOSE

Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS) is an increasingly recognized brain disorder most commonly associated with malignant hypertension, toxemia of pregnancy, or the use of immunosuppressive agents. When associated with acute hypertension, RPLS typically occurs concurrently with the fulminant clinical syndrome of hypertensive encephalopathy. We describe occipital lobe seizures, in the setting of only moderate elevations of blood pressure, as the major clinical manifestation of RPLS.

METHODS

Two patients from the Dent Neurologic Institute are presented with clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlation.

RESULTS

New onset secondarily generalized occipital seizures were noted, with MRI findings consistent with RPLS. Both of the patients had chronic renal failure and a moderate acute exacerbation of chronic hypertension. Other features of hypertensive encephalopathy were lacking, such as headache, nausea, papilledema, and an altered sensorium. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed edematous lesions primarily involving the posterior supratentorial white matter and corticomedullary junction, consistent with RPLS. With lowered blood pressure, the MRI lesions resolved and the patients became seizure-free without requiring chronic anticonvulsant therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Occipital seizures may represent the only major neurologic manifestation of RPLS due to acute hypertension, especially in patients with renal failure. Other evidence of hypertensive encephalopathy, such as cerebral signs and symptoms, need not be present. Blood pressure elevations may be only moderate. Early recognition of this readily treatable cause of occipital seizures may obviate the need for extensive, invasive investigations. Despite the impressive lesions on MRI, prompt treatment of this disorder carries a favorable prognosis.