Prevalence and Clinical Presentation of Hypertensive Emergencies in a Rural Tertiary Care Centre

Background: A hypertensive emergency is characterized by rapid deterioration of target-organs and poses an immediate threat to life. These conditions were invariably fatal before the advent of antihypertensive drugs. The present study was undertaken to find out prevalence and clinical profile of patients with hypertensive emergencies in western region of rural Maharashtra. Materials and Methodology: The present prospective observational study was conducted in Emergency ward in Rural hospital during June 2024 to May 2025. Patient more than 18 year having systolic blood pressure of 180 mm of Hg and above or diastolic blood pressure of 120 mm of Hg and above with evidence of end organ damage, either clinically or laboratory findings and those who give written informed consent to participate in the study were included as study population. Detailed assessment was done including history taking, clinical examination and laboratory investigations. Data was entered into MS Excel and analysed using SPSS v23.0. Results: The prevalence of hypertensive emergencies was 2.1%. The mean age of the patients was 53.87 ±12.85 years. Males constituted the majority with 52 (55.91%) patients. The majority of patients had dyspnoea with 57 cases (61.29%). Conclusion: Hypertensive emergencies, though relatively infrequent, highlighting the need for prompt recognition and early management to prevent serious morbidity and mortality.