[Hypertensive emergency]

Hypertensive emergencies are acute, life-threatening events, characterised by high blood pressure and concomitant acute hypertensive target organ damage. These patients need immediate lowering of blood pressure mostly with parenteral drugs in the range of the autoregulative capacity of organ circulation and in-hospital monitoring of the vital functions. Hypertensive urgencies are not necessarily life-threatening, but persistence of high blood pressure may lead to acute target organ damage. Blood pressure should be lowered within 24 to 48 hours. Oral therapy is normally sufficient and hospitalisation is rarely necessary, but maintenance of antihypertensive therapy outside the hospital has to be ascertained.