Peer response - Remington

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Concorde Career College

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  • Given the patient's presentation and medical history, several differentials could be considered:
  • Hypertensive crisis with end-organ damage: The patient's severe hypertension (195/115 mmHg) may be leading to end-organ damage, explaining his symptoms of headaches and blurry vision (Alley, 2023).

Hypertensive emergency: The elevated blood pressure could be indicative of a hypertensive emergency, requiring immediate intervention to prevent organ damage (Alley, 2023).

Hypertensive urgency: While less likely given the patient's symptoms, hypertensive urgency cannot be ruled out entirely, especially if symptoms have been present for a longer duration (Alley, 2023).

  1. Cerebrovascular accident (CVA): Given the patient's age, hypertension, and neurological symptoms, a CVA or stroke must be considered (Kumar, 2023).

Hypertensive retinopathy: Blurry vision can be indicative of hypertensive retinopathy, a sign of end-organ damage in hypertension. (Modi, 2023).

  1. Given the patient's age, race, and cardiovascular risk factors, it's crucial to assess his ASCVD (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease) risk. According to the ACC/AHA 2019 Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, the patient's 10-year ASCVD risk can be calculated based on his cholesterol levels, age, blood pressure, and other risk factors (Arnett, 2019).

For treatment, the immediate priority is to lower the patient's blood pressure to reduce the risk of further end-organ damage. Considering the severity of his hypertension and symptoms, hospitalization for close monitoring and intravenous antihypertensive medications may be necessary. Intravenous medications such as labetalol, nicardipine, or nitroprusside can be used to rapidly lower blood pressure. Close monitoring of neurological status, renal function, and blood pressure is essential during treatment.

  1. Long-term management should focus on optimizing blood pressure control and reducing ASCVD risk. Lifestyle modifications such as dietary changes (DASH diet), regular exercise, smoking cessation, and stress reduction should be emphasized. Pharmacotherapy should include antihypertensive medications targeting multiple mechanisms of blood pressure control. Given his Black ethnicity, medications such as ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in combination with a calcium channel blocker (CCB) or a thiazide diuretic are recommended as per ACC/AHA guidelines.

Considering his elevated cholesterol levels, statin therapy should also be initiated for secondary prevention of ASCVD. High-intensity statin therapy should be considered given the patient's history of hypertension and elevated LDL cholesterol levels. Regular monitoring of lipid levels and renal function is necessary while on statin therapy.

  1. Referrals should be made to a cardiologist and ophthalmologist for further evaluation and management of cardiovascular and ocular complications of hypertension, respectively. Close follow-up with primary care should be scheduled to monitor blood pressure, lipid levels, renal function, and medication adherence.

In summary, the most likely diagnosis is a hypertensive crisis with end-organ damage or hypertensive emergency. Treatment involves aggressive blood pressure management, initiation of statin therapy, lifestyle modifications, and referral to specialists for further evaluation and management of complications. Regular follow-up and monitoring are essential to prevent recurrent cardiovascular events and complications.

  1. References:

Alley, W. D., et al. (2023, Jul 24). Hypertensive Emergency.  StatPearls. retrieved on 5/22/24, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470371/

Arnett, D.K., et al. (2019, Mar 17). 2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. AHA Journals. retrieved on 5/22/24, from https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000678

Kumar, M., et al. (2023, Mar 15). A study on the Clinical Profiles of Patients with Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke) in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Jharkhand.Cureus. retrieved on 5/22/24, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10085251/

Modi, P., et al. (2023, Jul 4). Hypertensive Retinopathy. StatPearls. retrieved on 5/22/24, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525980/

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Peer response – Remington

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May 23, 2024

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Peer response – Remington
Hello Remington. It is a great and informative post. Indeed, based on the symptoms
experienced by the patient, several differential diagnoses are possible, although the most
likely is a hypertensive emergency. As you state, elevated blood pressure indicates a
hypertensive...

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