The following information should be sought when a history is taken:
Duration of pre-existing hypertension
Determine the duration of pre-existing hypertension and related issues, such as medication compliance and previous emergency presentations.
Predisposing illnesses or conditions
Check whether there are any other illnesses or conditions which may predispose the patient to hypertension. For example:
Related illnesses
Establish whether the patient has any other illnesses which may be related to hypertension. For example:
Drug history
The drug history should focus both on relevant antihypertensive medication and drugs with hypertensive side effects, such as sympathomimetic agents, which might be implicated in a hypertensive emergency.
The patient should be specifically questioned about use of drugs of abuse such as cocaine, particularly when there are no clear risk factors, or a past history of hypertension.