Hypertension: something need to know

Definition :
Hypertension is defined as the presence of  blood pressure elevation to a level that places patients at increased risk of target organ damage in several vascular beds including the retina, brain, kidneys and large conduit arteries

Classification:
    *Normal BP : as systolic blood pressure <120 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure < 80 mm Hg
    *Pre-hypertension : SBP 120 to 135 mm Hg and DBP 80 to 89 mm Hg
    *Hypertension in stage 1 :SBP 140 to 159 mm Hg and DBP 80 to 89 mm Hg; and stage 2 >160 mm Hg or DBP >100 mm Hg
    *Hypertensive crisis :
             -developing in patients with a previous history of elevated BP
             -the severity of a hypertensive crisis correlates not only with the absolute level of BP elevation but also with the rapidity of development, because auto-regulatory  mechanism have not had sufficient time to adapt
    *Hypertensive urgencies :
            -a substantial increase in BP ( DBP>120 mm Hg)
            -including upper levels of stage 2 hypertension, hypertension with optic disk edema, progressive end-organ complication rather than damage, and severe peri-operative hypertension
     *Hypertensive emergencies :
            -accelerated hypertension (an SBP > 210 mm Hg and DBP > 130 mm Hg, presenting with headaches, blurred vision or focal neurologic symptoms
            -malignant hypertension : the presence of papilledema; requires immediate BP reduction by 20% to 25% to prevent or minimize end-organ damage
     *Isolated systolic hypertension : an SBP . 140 mm Hg and normal DBP:
          -frequently occurs in the elderly (after fifth decade and increasing with age)
          - Non-pharmacologic therapy should be initiated with medications added as needed to lower SBP to <140 mm Hg
         -Patient tolerance of anti-hypertensive therapy should be assessed freuqently

** SBP = systolic blood pressure; DBP = diastolic blood pressure
source : JAMA 2003: 289 : 2560-2572