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Diagnostic evaluation of HTN
This document provides guidelines for diagnosing hypertension through diagnostic evaluations. It discusses establishing blood pressure levels, identifying secondary causes, and evaluating cardiovascular risk through measurements, medical history, physical exam, and investigations. Specific guidelines are provided for office and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, interpreting results, and assessing for target organ damage through tests like ECG, echocardiogram, carotid ultrasound, and lab work.
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Diagnostic evaluation of HTN
- 1. Diagnostic evaluation ofhypertensionHany A. AbdelWahab(Assistant lecturer of cardiology)Zagazig UniversityOctober, 2011
- 2. Aim of thediagnostic procedures 1) Establishing blood pressure levels.2) Identifying secondary causes of hypertension.3) Evaluating the overall cardiovascular risk by searching for other risk factors, target organ damage and concomitant diseases.
- 3. The diagnostic procedurescomprise:1) Repeated blood pressure measurements.2) Medical history.3) Physical examination.4) Investigations.
- 4.
- 5. Blood pressure ischaracterized by large spontaneous variations therefore the diagnosis of hypertension should be based on at least 2 blood pressure measurements per visit and at least 2 to 3 visits, although in severe cases the diagnosis can be based on measurements taken at a single visit.Office or clinic BP measurementAllow the patients to sit for several minutes in a quiet room before beginning BP measurements.
- 6. Take at leasttwo measurements spaced by 1– 2 minutes, and additional measurements if the first two are quite different.Use a standard bladder size (12–13 cm long and 35 cm wide) but have a larger and a smaller bladder available for fat and thin arms, respectively. Use the smaller bladder in children.Have the cuff at the heart level, whatever the position of the patient.Measure BP in both arms at the first visit to detect possible differences due to PVD. In this instance, take the higher value as the reference one.
- 7. Measure BP 1and 5 min after assumption of the standing position if postural hypotension is suspected like in elderly & diabetic patients.
- 8. Measure heart rateby pulse palpation (at least 30 sec) after the second measurement in the sitting position.Ambulatory BP measurement
- 9. Many studies havealso shown that ambulatory blood pressure: 1) Correlates with hypertension-related organ damage and its changes by treatment more closely than does office blood pressure. 2) It can predict cardiovascular risk greater than office blood pressure values in populations as well as in untreated and treated hypertensives.3) Measures the extent of blood pressure reduction by treatment more accurately than clinic blood pressure.
- 10. It obtains informationon both daytime and nighttime BP profiles, day-night BP difference, morning BP rise and BP variability.
- 11. The prognostic valueof nighttime BP has been found to be superior to that of daytime blood pressure.
- 12. Subjects in whomnocturnal decrease in blood pressure is blunted (non dippers) have been reported to have a greater prevalence of organ damage and a less favourable outcome.24-h ambulatory BP monitoring should be considered, in particular, when:1- Considerable variability of office BP.2- High office BP is measured in subjects otherwise at low total cardiovascular risk.3- There is a marked discrepancy between BP values measured in the office and at home.
- 13. 4- Resistance todrug treatment is suspected.5- Hypotensive episodes are suspected, particularly in elderly and diabetic patients.6- Office BP is elevated in pregnant women and preeclampsia is suspected.
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- 15. Self-measurement of BPat home is of clinical value and itsprognostic significance is now demonstrated.
- 16. Thesemeasurements should beencouraged in order to:
- 17. Provide more informationon the BP lowering effect of treatment at trough.
- 18. Improve patient’s adherenceto treatment regimens.
- 19. If there aredoubts on technical reliability/ environmentalconditions of ambulatory BP data.Normal values are different for office, ambulatory and home BP measurements.
- 20. Blood pressure thresholds(mmHg) for definition ofhypertension with different types of measurement
- 21. Isolated office (whitecoat) hypertensionIf the office blood pressure is persistently elevated (≥140/90 mmHg on at least 3 occasions) while daytime or 24-hour blood pressure, or home blood pressure are within their normal range.
- 22. Isolated office hypertensionmay be present in about 15% of the general population and that it may account for a noticeable fraction (one third or more) of hypertensive patients.There is evidence that in individuals with isolated office hypertension cardiovascular risk is less than in individuals with both raised office and ambulatory blood pressure. However, several, although not all studies, have reported this condition to be associated with a prevalence of organ damage and metabolic abnormalities greater than that of normotensive subjects, which suggests that it may not be a clinically innocent phenomenon.This condition is more common when there isGrade 1 (mild) hypertension in females. older ages.Non smokers. Hypertension of recent onset.Limited number of office BP measurements.
- 23. Isolated ambulatory (masked)hypertensionThe reverse phenomenon of ‘white coat hypertension’ has also been described: individuals with normal office BP (<140/90 mmHg) may have elevated ambulatory or home BP values, a condition termed ‘isolated ambulatory hypertension’ or ‘masked hypertension’.The prevalence in the population is about the same as that of isolated office hypertension.
- 24. Such individuals havebeen shown to have greater than normal prevalence of organ damage, with an increased prevalence of metabolic risk factors compared with subjects with a truly normal blood pressure.Medical history
- 25. Guidelines for Familyand Clinical HistoryDuration and previous level of high blood pressure.Indications of secondary hypertension: - Family history of renal disease (polycystic kidney). - Renal disease, urinary tract infection, haematuria, analgesic abuse (parenchymal renal disease). - Drug/substance intake: oral contraceptives, liquorice, carbenoxolone, nasal drops, cocaine, amphetamines, steroids, NSAIDs, erythropoietin, cyclosporine. - Episodes of sweating, headache, anxiety, palpitation (phaeochromocytoma). - Episodes of muscle weakness and tetany (aldosteronism).
- 26. Risk factors: - Familyand personal history of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. - Family and personal history of dyslipidaemia. - Family and personal history of diabetes mellitus. - Smoking. - Dietary habits. - Obesity & amount of physical exercise. - Snoring; sleep apnea ( information also from partner) - Personality.
- 27. Symptoms of targetorgan damage: - Brain and eyes: headache, vertigo, impaired vision, TIAs & sensory or motor deficit. - Heart: palpitation, chest pain, shortness of breath &swollen ankles. - Kidney: thirst, polyuria, nocturia & haematuria. - Peripheral arteries: cold extremities & intermittent claudications.Previous antihypertensive therapy: - Drug(s) used, efficacy and adverse effects.
- 28.
- 29. Physical Examination forSecondaryHypertension, Target organ Damage and Visceral Obesity Signs suggesting secondary hypertensionFeatures of Cushing Syndrome.
- 30. Skin stigmata ofneurofibromatosis (phaeochromocytoma).
- 31. Palpation of enlargedkidneys (polycystic kidney).
- 32. Auscultation of abdominalmurmurs (renovascular hypertension).
- 33. Auscultation of precordialor chest murmurs & delayed femoral pulses (aortic coarctation or aortic disease).Signs of organ damageBrain: murmurs over carotid arteries, motor or sensory defects.
- 34.
- 35. Heart: apical impulse,abnormal cardiac rhythms, ventricular gallop, pulmonary rales & peripheral oedema.
- 36. Peripheral arteries: absence,reduction, or asymmetry of pulses, cold extremities, ischaemic skin lesions.Evidence of visceral obesityIncreased waist circumference (standing position) M: >102 cm & W: >88 cm
- 37. Increased body massindex:body weight (Kg)/ height (m²)Overweight ≥25 Kg/m² & Obesity ≥30 Kg/m²
- 38.
- 39. Laboratory InvestigationsRoutine testsFastingplasma glucose.
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- 46. Serum uric acid.Serumcreatinine.
- 47. Estimated creatinine clearance(Cockroft-Gault formula) or glomerular filtration rate (MDRD formula).
- 48.
- 49. Urine analysis (complementedby microalbuminuria dipstick test and microscopic examination).
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- 52. Quantitative proteinuria (ifdipstick test positive).
- 53.
- 54.
- 55. Glucose tolerance test(if fasting plasma glucose >102 mg/dL).
- 56. Home and 24hambulatory BP monitoring .
- 57. Pulse wave velocitymeasurement (where available).Searching for subclinical organ damageCADCHFLVHStrokeHypertensionRenal disease Morbidity DisabilityPeripheral vascular diseaseNational High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group. Arch Intern Med. 1993;153:186-208.
- 58. HeartElectrocardiogramshould be partof all routine assessment of subjects with hypertension in order to detect:LVH & patterns of “strain” - Ischaemic & conduction defects and arrhythmias.
- 59. Echocardiography is recommendedwhenever a more sensitive detection of LVH & diastolic and systolic dysfunction can also be evaluated.LVH
- 60. The relation betweenleft ventricular mass index and cardiovascular risk is continuous & thresholds of 125 g/m2 for men, and 110 g/m2 for women are widely used for conservative estimates of left ventricular hypertrophy.
- 61. Concentric hypertrophy, eccentrichypertrophy, concentric remodelling all predict an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, but concentric hypertrophy has consistently been shown to be the condition which most markedly increases the risk.Blood vesselsCarotids ultrasound is also recommended whenever detection of vascular hypertrophy (increased thickness of common carotid intima-media; IMT > 0.9 mm ) or asymptomatic atherosclerosis (thickening of carotid bifurcation and internal carotid arteries, presence of plaques) can predict the occurrence of stroke and MI.Large artery stiffening (an important vascular alteration leading to isolated systolic hypertension; ISH in the elderly) can be measured in a relatively simple way by pulse wave velocity.
- 62. A low ankle-brachial BP index < 0.9 signals peripheral artery disease.KidneyThe diagnosis of hypertension- related renal damage is based on the finding of a reduced renal function or the detection of albuminuria in hypertensive patients.(A) Routine measurement of: - Serum creatinine. - Glomerular filtration rate (MDRD formula) or creatinine clearance (Cockroft- Gault formula).Micro and macro albuminuria (dipstick test).This allows classification of renal dysfunction and stratification of cardiovascular risk.
- 63. FundoscopyExamination of eyegrounds is recommended in severe hypertensive patients. This is because the mildest retinal changes (grade 1: arteriolar narrowing; grade 2: arterio venous nipping) appear to be largely non-specific alterations except in young patients.In contrast grade 3 (haemorrhages and exudates) and 4 (papilloedema), only present in severe hypertension, are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events.
- 64. More sensitive methodsfor quantitatively assessing retinal vascular changes are being developed.
- 65. BrainSilent brain infarcts,lacunar infarction, microbleeds and whitematter lesions are not infrequent among hypertensives and can be detected by MRI or CT (MRI being generally superior to CT).Take home messageProper and repeated BP measurements are essential for proper diagnosis of hypertension.
- 66. History, physical examand investigations are essential to search for secondary causes of hypertension, target organ damage, concomitant diseases and estimate the cardiovascular risk.Thank You