A hypertensive emergency (sometimes called malignant hypertension) is excessive blood pressure which causes damage to the brain, eyes, kidneys, or heart. The exact level of blood pressure is different for every person, but hypertensive emergency does not usually occur unless the blood pressure is higher than 220/120.
Some symptoms may include:
Brain: headache, confusion, stroke-like symptoms, difficulty speaking, vertigo
Eyes: vision loss, visual disturbances (flashing, dark spots), eye pain
Kidneys: renal failure, hematuria, decreased urine output
Heart: chest pain, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure
Treatment includes lowering the blood pressure by 20-30% within 1 hour, then return to more normal levels within 12-18 hours. If it is truly hypertensive emergency, this is accomplished with IV medications. The treatment requires hospitalization and stabilization.