Arterial Hypertension and Flash Pulmonary Edema

Abstract

High blood pressure values are recorded in almost 50% of patients with cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Not in all of these cases hypertension is the primary cause of the event but rather an associate and aggravating factor, except for “hypertensive pulmonary edema.” Usually, patients presenting with this condition have a long history of uncontrolled arterial hypertension, with left ventricular hypertrophy and preserved ejection fraction. Signs of myocardial ischemia are lacking, and the clinical evolution is typical for flash pulmonary edema (FPE): sudden and severe flooding of pulmonary alveolar spaces, with rapid recovery after the onset of treatment.