[Arterial hypertension in the medical-surgical emergency service. Apropos of 139 cases observed in national reference general hospital of N'Djamena].

The authors achieved a prospective study on 139 hypertensive patients admitted at the emergency service of the Hôpital général de référence nationale during the period from March to October 1998. The aim of the study was to define the epidemiological and the clinical aspects of high blood pressure. The results were as following: Epidemiologic aspects: The inward prevalence was 2.7%. There was clear male prevalence: 59.7% vs 40.7% with a sex-ratio M/F of 1.5%. The average age was 53 (18-88) of which an average of 54 for men and 50 for women. The most concerned age backets were between 40 and 60 years. For clinical aspects: Forty nine of our patients reported in their medical history the high blood pressure notion known and followed up. From the main examination, diagnoses held, were the following in descending order: high blood pressure, 41.7%: hypertensive encephalopathy, 15.1% and cerebral stroke, 10.1%. Regarding the degree of high blood pressure, most of patients (74 patients over 139 i.e. 53.23%) showed a severe and cunning high blood pressure and men were more concerned than women: 68.9% vs 31.20%. From complications point of view, the renal attack held the first place and the neurological slowing down was a factor of bad prognosis. The global hospital mortality was 15.8% (22 death cases over 139) of which 15 men and 7 women. Neurological complications were the most numerous with 31.8% of cases. The old age and the lack of patients follow-up were the factors of bad prognosis.