Rationale for the Concept of Impending Hypertension-Mediated Organ Damage

Background: The number of patients with hypertension urgencies (HTN-Us) and emergencies (HTN-Es) in the emergency department is relatively constant despite improved detection, awareness and control of arterial hypertension. Objective: This study analyses the precision of the often-used definition of HTN-E, particularly the phrase ‘with the evidence of impending or progressive hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD)’. We then provide a rationale for the concept of impending HMOD. Methods: The databases PubMed, Science Direct, Springer, Oxford Press, Wiley, SAGE and Google Scholar were searched and the relevant definition has been analyzed. Results: The definition of HTN-E is suboptimal and requires a consensus on whether to include the phrase ‘impending hypertensive HMOD’ in the definition. Conclusion: A consensus on the principles of treating the ‘impending hypertensive HMOD’ does not exist, making its use inconsistent in emergency departments worldwide. In this paper, we present a rationale for the concept of ‘impending HMOD’.