Abstract
Elevated blood pressure is common in patients who are hospitalized. There are no guidelines
and few recommendations to help inpatient providers manage patients with elevated
blood pressure. There are no normal reported values for blood pressure in the inpatient
and recording circumstances often widely vary. Many factors may influence blood pressure
such as pain, anxiety, malaise, nicotine withdrawal, or withholding home medications.
This review of available literature suggests potential harm and little to no potential
benefit in treating asymptomatic patients with elevated blood pressure. This review
also found no evidence that asymptomatic elevated blood pressure progresses to lead
to end-organ damage. However, there are clear instances of hypertensive emergency
where treatment is indicated. Conscientious adjustment of an anti-hypertensive regimen
should be undertaken during episode of elevated blood pressure associated with end-organ
damage.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 06, 2019
Footnotes
Funding: None.
Conflicts of Interest: None.
Authorship: All authors had access to the data and a role in writing this manuscript.
Identification
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