Profile of patients in hypertensive attack assisted in an emergency unit in Fortaleza

Abstract

The main objective of this paper was to analyze, from emergency registers, the profile of patients undergoing hypertensive attack between January and February of 2002 in a municipal hospital in Fortaleza, investigating the characteristics of gender, age group, the working shifts (morning, afternoon, and night) with most frequent patients’ attendance in the hospital, and the medicines prescribed during the attack. The results demonstrate an elevated demand on clinic attendance (5.0%) and a homogeneous result on the three hospital working shifts. Patients within the age range of 20 to 90 were affected, especially women (64.4%), independent of age group. The medication taken by most patients were angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors (62.3%) and diuretics (57.1%).