Sex-related cardiovascular prognosis in patients with hypertensive emergencies: a 12-month study

Hypertens Res. 2023 Mar;46(3):756-761. doi: 10.1038/s41440-022-01129-2. Epub 2023 Jan 4.

Abstract

Current evidence on the prognosis of patients with a hypertensive crisis and predisposing factors is limited. We registered the clinical phenotype of patients with HC admitted to the emergency department, while those with a hypertensive emergency (HE) were hospitalized. One-year outcomes, i.e., composite of death or cardiovascular hospitalizations, were determined in patients with HE after hospital discharge. Out of 38,589 patients assessed in the emergency department, 256 hypertensive urgencies and 97 HE was registered. After stratification of the HE by sex, 48 men and 46 women completed the one-year follow-up. Men had more events than women (27 vs. 13, Ηazard Ratio 2.2, 95% Confidence Interval 1.03-4.7, p = 0.042) after adjustment for age, cardiovascular or chronic kidney disease, and diabetes mellitus. Our study raises the hypothesis that the male sex is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular outcomes in HE patients. CV Cardiovascular, BP blood pressure. The diagram presents the groups of comparison, men versus women in hypertensive emergencies that completed the 1-year follow-up for outcomes, in terms of hospitalizations or deaths.

Keywords: Hypertensive emergency; cardiovascular outcomes; prognosis; sex.

MeSH terms

  • Emergencies
  • Female
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Hypertension*
  • Hypertension, Malignant*
  • Male
  • Prognosis