Clinical and epidemiological profile of elderly patients seen in a hypertensive emergency at a public hospital in the state of Rio de Janeiro – Hypertensive emergency in the elderly

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertensive emergencies (HE) are clinical
entities characterized by an acute and significant increase
in blood pressure (BP) associated with severe symptoms that
evidence target organ damage. Objective: To analyze the clinical
and epidemiological profile of elderly patients treated in
a hypertensive emergency at a public hospital in the state of
Rio de Janeiro. Method: This study is prospective and descriptive.
Information was collected from August to October, 2020
using medical records and processed using the Statistic Statsoft
program. Pearson’s test was performed for univariate analysis.
Results: The sample consisted of 109 patients. The average
age found was 73 years old, with a predominance of males
(69.72%) and brown skin (36.69%). Approximately 72.48% of
the patients had a history of Systemic Arterial Hypertension
(SAH), however, (50.46%) reported that they did not regularly
use antihypertensive medication. Target organ injuries were
ischemic stroke (58.71%), followed by acute coronary syndrome
(24.77%), hemorrhagic stroke (9.17%) and edema acute
lung disease (7.33%). Regarding the BP values found at admission,
the mean systolic pressure was 205.0 mmHg, while the
mean diastolic pressure was 127.0 mmHg. Conclusion: Ischemic
stroke was the most frequent HE in the sample. It is necessary
to put in place measures to prevent risk factors associated with
SAH, as well as to control blood pressure levels to reduce the
number of consultations due to hypertensive emergencies and
other complications of cardiovascular diseases.

Keywords: Emergency; Hypertension; Prevalence.