Home » Signs and Symptoms » Hypertensive Urgencies and Emergencies High blood pressure can be said to be one of the most serious diseases that hits a person. It is called a silent killer because there are hardly any visible signs and symptoms by which one can detect the disease. It can be caused to be due to a number of reasons. High blood pressure is caused due to hypertension as well. Hypertensive urgencies and emergencies are a severe form of hypertension when an acute impairment is caused in an organ system. The affected organ system can be the cardiovascular system and central nervous system or the renal system. The organ damage could be irreversible as well. In case of hypertensive urgencies and emergencies the raised blood pressure should be brought lower levels within minutes or hours with the help of on antihypertensive agent. There are several types of antihypertensive agents that are recommended during the hypertensive urgencies and emergencies. A particular antihypertensive agent is used depending on the hypertensive crisis. The severity of the hypertensive emergencies is checked like the elevated blood pressure and the usual blood pressure of the patient. In most cases of hypertensive urgencies and emergencies an intravenous sodium nitroprusside is injected which has an immediate antihypertensive effect. But this is not so easily available. In the not so urgent cases, some oral agents like clonidine, captopril, prazosin and labetalol. All these drugs have a slow action as compared to sodium nitroprusside, but are helpful. It is very important to check that the blood pressure is smoothly lowered rather than abruptly. The diagnosis and treatment of hypertensive urgencies and emergencies is not dependent on the absolute blood pressure level only, but also on the regular blood pressure levels of the individuals before the hypertensive crisis. Individuals who have a chronic hypertension history may not be able to tolerate the normal level of blood pressure.