When Blood Pressure Values Go Out of Control Hypertensive Crisis and Hypertensive Emergency

A hypertensive crisis represents a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention to prevent it from developing into a hypertensive emergency.

Hypertensive Crisis:

A hypertensive crisis is defined as a sudden massive blood pressure increase to values starting from 230/130 mmHg. The classification by the European Society of Hypertension and the European Society of Cardiology already defines blood pressure values over 180/120 mmHg as a hypertensive crisis. In the 2024 published National Guideline on Hypertension, values over 180/110 mmHg are classified as hypertensive decompensation. In a hypertensive crisis, there are no signs of acute hypertensive organ damage yet. Affected individuals may be asymptomatic - however, they often complain of symptoms such as headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, or tremors throughout the body. Visual disturbances, a feeling of tightness in the chest, breathing difficulties, confusion, or consciousness disturbances, as well as reduced urination, may also occur.

The hypertensive crisis is also referred to as hypertensive decompensation, hypertensive crisis, or blood pressure crisis.

If you experience these symptoms, please seek medical treatment immediately or call an emergency doctor!

Hypertensive Emergency:

Due to the extremely high blood pressure values present in a hypertensive crisis, organ damage can occur. This is then described as a hypertensive emergency and should be avoided as much as possible.

Possible organ damage includes, for example, pulmonary edema (fluid accumulation in the lungs), acute heart failure (reduction in heart pumping capacity), angina pectoris, acute coronary syndrome up to a heart attack, aortic dissection (splitting of the wall layers of the main artery), increased intracranial pressure, bleeding in the brain, and as a consequence, stroke, as well as bleeding into the retina of the eye.

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This article is from BloodPressureDB the leading app since 2011 that supports hundreds of thousands in blood pressure monitoring every day. Our content is based on carefully researched, evidence-based data and is continuously updated (as of 04/2024).

Author Sabine Croci is a certified medical assistant with many years of experience in internal medicine and cardiology practices as well as in outpatient care, and has been leading the editorial team of BloodPressureDB since 2015. Thanks to her extensive additional qualifications as a paramedic, first responder, and in various therapy and emergency areas, she provides well-founded, practical, and reliably verified information.

When Blood Pressure Values Go Out of Control Hypertensive Crisis and Hypertensive Emergency

Hypertensive Crisis:

Hypertensive Emergency:

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