Characterization of patients aged 45 or under admitted with hypertensive emergencies in the Hospital do Prenda

The incidence and prevalence of hypertensive emergency have been little addressed in the literature. However, over the last decade increasing numbers of young patients with different forms of hypertensive crisis have been observed in emergency departments. We performed this study to ascertain the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients aged ≤ 45 years admitted with a diagnosis of hypertensive emergency. We conducted an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional prospective study of 123 patients hospitalized for hypertensive emergency in the Hospital do Prenda, Luanda, between May 2011 and June 2012. Mean age was 36.62 ± 5.49 years, and most were male (52.85%). The main risk factor was hypertension (65.9%), with 17.3% complying with therapy. The most frequent forms of presentation were hypertensive encephalopathy and hemorrhagic stroke (9.8% and 82.1%, respectively). The main drugs used were diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and calcium channel blockers. Mortality during hospitalization was 25.2% (31 patients), hemorrhagic stroke being the most common cause. There was a significant association between age and in-hospital mortality. Of patients admitted with hypertensive emergency, 30.1% were aged ≤ 45 years. Hemorrhagic stroke was the most common presentation. There was a significant relationship between mode of presentation, age and in-hospital mortality.