GP Flashcards
Stage 1 HTN:
≥140/90
OR
ABPM daytime average reading of ≥135/85
Stage 2 HTN:
≥160/100
OR
ABPM daytime average reading of ≥ 150/95
Severe HTN:
≥180 diastolic
OR
≥110 diastolic
What is ‘essential’ HTN?
Primary idiopathic HTN i.e. cause unknown
Give 2 causes of secondary HTN:
Most commonly due to kidney or endocrine problems, for example:
- CKD (e.g. due to diabetes)
- Cushing’s syndrome (hypersecretion of corticosteroids)
Give 4 unmodifiable risk factors for HTN:
- Increasing age
- Family history
- Diabetes
- Ethnicity
What is malignant HTN? How does it present (3 signs/symptoms):
AKA accelerated phase HTN
A rapid rise in BP leading to vascular damage
Px:
- Severe HTN
- Headaches with visual disturbance
- Bilateral retinal haemorrage
What investigations should be carried out when diagnosing HTN? (4)
- Ambulatory BP monitoring over 24 houus
- Fasting glucose
- Cholesterol levels
- Other tests to look for potential end organ damage e.g. proteinuria, fundoscopy, ECG
How do you treat malignant HTN (AKA accelerated phase HTN)?
Admit for specialist treatment and urgent investigations
What are the first and second line treatments for HTN in someone with type 2 DM?
1st: ACEi (ramipril) or ARB (candesartan)
2nd: Add a CCB (amlodipine or nifedipine) or thiazide-like diuretic (bendroflumethiazide)
What are the first and second line treatments for HTN in someone without DM2 who is <55 years old and not black African or of African-Carribean family origin?
1st: ACEi (ramipril) or ARB (candesartan)
2nd: Add a CCB (amlodipine or nifedipine) or thiazide-like diuretic (bendroflumethiazide)
What are the first and second line treatments for HTN in someone without DM2 who is 55 years or older?
1st: CCB (amlodipine or nifedipine)
2nd: Add an ACEi or ARB or thiazide-like diuretic (bendroflumethiazide)
What are the first and second line treatments for HTN in someone who is black African or of African-Carribean family origin?
1st: CCB (amlodipine or nifedipine)
2nd: Add an ACEi or ARB or thiazide-like diuretic (indapamide)
What is the third line treatment for HTN in all groups?
A + C + D = ACEi/ARB and CCB and Diuretic
What medication might you add to a patient’s treatment once you have confirmed they have resistant HTN? (They are already on A+C+D)
Low dose spironlactone (if blood potassium is <4.5)
OR
Alpha-blocker or Beta-blocker (if blood potassium >4.5)
Also seek expert advise!
What type of drug is indapamide?
A thiazide-like diuretic
What type of drug is doxazosin?
An alpha-blocker (used in fourth line tx of HTN)
Name 3 drugs that increase the risk of idiopathic intracranial hypertension:
- combined oral contraceptive pill
- steroids
- tetracyclines e.g. lymecycline
- vitamin A
- lithium
What group of people typically experience idiopathic intracranial HTN?
Young overweight females
Give 4 typical features of idiopathic intracranial HTN;
- Headache
- Blurred vision
- Papilloedema
- Enlarged blind spot
- Sixth nerve palsy (may be present)
Which anti-HTN medication should not be prescribed to those suffering with gout?
Do not give thiazide-like diuretics, they exacerbate gout
What is the max dose of amlodipine you can give for HTN?
10mg per day
What side effect is commonly complained of when taking an ACEi?
Dry cough
What type of diuretic is furosemide?
Loop diuretic: inhibits NaCl reabsorption in the ascending loop of henle
What type of diuretic is spironolactone?
Potassium-sparing diuretic: acts on aldosterone-responsive segments of the distal nephron
Give 5 symptoms of heart failure:
- Breathlessness
- Fatigue
- Ankle swelling
- Nocturnal cough (+/- pink sputum)
- Orthopnea (breathless lying flat)
- Nocturnal wheeze
- Syncope
- Anorexia
Give 5 signs of heart failure:
- Raised JVP
- Tachycardia
- Tachypnoea
- Pulmonary rales (fine crackles indicating fluid in small airways)
- peripheral oedema
- Pleural effusion (dull to percussion, diminished or absent breath sounds, confirm with CXR)
- Hepatomegaly
What might pink frothy sputum and a nocturnal cough indicate?
Heart failure
Give 3 causes of left sided heart failure:
- Ischaemic heart disease (most common)
- Long standing HTN leading to LVH
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Aortic stenosis
- Other cardiomyopathies: hypertrophic, restrictive
Give 3 causes of right-sided heart failure:
- Left sided heart failure
- Left to right shunt e.g. ASD, VSD
- Chronic lung disease (cor pulmonale = raises pulmonary blood pressure, increased pressure needed to pump blood out of RV, leads to RVH)
3 signs of right sided heart failure:
- Raised JVP
- Hepatosplenomegaly
- Ankle oedema
3 signs of left sided heart failure:
- Paroxysmal dysponea
- Wheeze
- Weight loss
- Cold peripheries
- Dysponea & poor exercise tolerance
Signs of heart failure on CXR: (5)
A - alveolar oedema (bat wings) B - kerley b lines C - cardiomegaly D - dilated upper lobe vessels E - pleural effusions
Non-pharmacological management of chronic heart failure: (3)
- Lifestyle management (smoking cessation, exercise, reduce alcohol intake, fluid and salt restriction)
- Annual influenza and single pneumococcal vaccination
- Frequent monitoring: renal function, functional capacity, fluid status, cardiac rhythm, cognitive status, nutritional status
First, second and third line pharmacological management of a patient with chronic heart failure:
First line: ACEi and beta-blocker
Second line: aldosterone antagonist (spironolactone)
3rd line: ivabradine or sacubitril-valsartan or digoxin or hydralazine
Diuretics are also used to manage symptoms of fluid overload BUT they have no proven affect on reducing mortality
NB: Baseline and repeat U&Es are needed to monitor ACEi
What medication might you offer a patient with chronic heart failure who has found that their symptoms are not improving on furosemide, ramipril and bisoprolol?
Offer a low dose aldosterone antagonist e.g. spironalactone or eplerenone
NB: Mineralcorticoid/aldosterone receptor antagonists (MRAs) antagonise aldosterone, increasing Na excretion via diuresis, ultimately decreasing cardiac afterload