Periodicum biologorum, Vol. 113 No. 3, 2011.
Original scientific paper
Hypertensive crisis as the first manifestation of renaldisease in children and adolescents: a report of three cases and review of the literature
IVA PALČIĆ
; University Hospital Centre »Sisters of Charity«, Children’s Hospital Zagreb, Department of Pediatrics, Nephrology Unit, Klaićeva 16, Zagreb, Croatia
MAJA BATINICA
; University Hospital Centre »Sisters of Charity«, Children’s Hospital Zagreb, Department of Pediatrics, Cardiology Unit, Klaićeva 16, Zagreb
JASNA ĐELMIŠ
; University Hospital Centre »Sisters of Charity«, Children’s Hospital Zagreb, Department of Pediatrics, Nephrology Unit, Klaićeva 16, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
Introduction: Hypertensive crisis is a life-threatening condition, defined as severe hypertension complicated with acute target-organ dysfunction (mainly neurological, renal or cardiac). It rarely occurs in childhood and most children and adolescents who presents with hypertensive crisis symptoms have secondary hypertension, mainly of renal etiology.
Case reports:We present the cases of three children with severe hypertension of different renal etiology who presented with the characteristic features of hypertensive emergency. Case 1 is a 11-year-old girl with reflux nephropathy who at admission had blood pressure (BP) as high as 250/200 mmHg. She was lethargic, with headache, vomiting and a 3-month history of weight loss. Case 2 is a 13-year-old boy with renal artery stenosis who had clinical presentation of generalized tonic-clonic seizures and BP 220/150
mmHg. Case 3 is a 9-year-old boy with chronic renal insufficiency of unexplained etiology and BP as high as 220/135 mmHg. This patient, like two others, presented dominantly with symptoms of hypertensive encephalopathy, aswell as signs of renal damage. All three patients have documented hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In the patient who had renal artery stenosis, the removal of his dysplastic atrophic right kidney failed to normalize his blood pressure.
Conclusion: We discuss the cases of unrecognized long-standing hypertension, with progression to malignant hypertension, as the first manifestation of renal disease – two with renal parenchymal disorders and one with renovascular disease. Hypertension is underdiagnosed in children and the purpose of these case reports is to raise awareness about it and point to the importance of routine careful measurement of blood pressure in pediatric patients.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
74115
URI
Publication date:
31.10.2011.
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