A Clinical study on hypertensive emergencies
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES : 
The clinical profile of patients with hypertensive emergencies presenting to hospitals in a developing country like ours is poorly known. 
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the modes of presentations, clinical profile and spectrum of target organ damage in patients with hypertensive emergencies. 
METHOD : 
This descriptive study was done at Coimbatore Medical College over the period of one and half years. 
The study population included patients admitted in this hospital with severely elevated blood pressure with clinical or laboratory evidence of acute target organ damage. The clinical and laboratory profile of 50 of these patients were evaluated. 
RESULTS : 
Males had higher chances of developing a hypertensive 
emergency compared to females. The commonest presenting symptoms were chestpain and dyspnoea, neurological deficit. Majority of the patients were known hypertensives. Higher levels of blood pressure at presentation were associated with an adverse outcome. Acute LVF was the commonest target organ damage observed. An in hospital mortality of 12% was observed in the present study. 
INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION : 
Known hypertensive are at a higher risk of presenting with acute target organ damage associated with a chestpain. Acute LVF is the commonest form of target organ damage encountered in the present study.