Surgically Correctable Hypertension

Abstract

Hypertension is one of the most common worldwide diseases affecting humans and is a major risk factor for stroke, myocardial infarction, vascular disease and chronic kidney disease. When hypertension develops as a result of an identifiable cause, it is termed “secondary” hypertension. This should be suspected in patients who have medically refractory hypertension, an acute rise in blood pressure over a short period of time, are less than 30 years old and without a family history, and those with severe hypertension. Secondary hypertension can be divided into surgical and nonsurgical. Forms of hypertension that are surgically correctable are those associated with renal diseases whether renovascular, renoparenchymal, some endocrinopathies affecting renal cortex as cushing syndrome, conns syndrome, or medulla as pheochromocytoma and vascular disorders as coarctation of aorta. Workup begins with a thorough history, physical examination, and focused laboratory and radiographic tests.