Severe Hypertension
Severe hypertension is a very high blood-pressure reading that needs careful repeat measurement and prompt clinical assessment. A high number with signs of acute brain, heart, kidney or eye injury is a hypertensive emergency.
Key takeaways
- Rest quietly and repeat an unexpected high reading with a correctly sized cuff, but do not delay emergency care when warning symptoms are present.
- Chest pain, breathlessness, neurological change, vision loss or confusion with severe hypertension can indicate acute organ injury.
- Blood pressure may need controlled reduction; taking extra doses or borrowing another person’s medicine can cause a dangerous fall.
Catalogue matches are not emergency treatment and do not show which blood-pressure medicine or rate of reduction is safe.
What changes a high reading into an emergency?
Clinicians assess symptoms, examination, repeat pressure and tests for stroke, heart strain, kidney injury or other complications. Pain, anxiety, missed medicines and measurement error can raise readings, but they should not be assumed without assessment.
How is severe hypertension managed?
Treatment depends on whether acute organ injury is present, current medicines, pregnancy and the underlying cause. Emergency care may use closely monitored intravenous treatment; severe readings without organ injury are managed more gradually with follow-up.
When to seek urgent care
Call emergency services for a severely raised reading with chest pain, severe breathlessness, new weakness, speech difficulty, confusion, seizure, vision loss or a sudden severe headache. A repeated severe reading without symptoms still needs prompt clinical advice.