A rare cause of secondary hypertension

Abstract

Severe hypertension is a well-recognised cause for acute medical admission, and can have serious consequences if untreated. We present a 48 year old patient in whom coarctation of the aorta was identified following the finding of severe hypertension at the time of routine preoperative assessment, and subsequent finding of absent lower limb pulses. The patient had a past history of Apert syndrome, a rare autosomal dominant inherited condition characterised by craniosynostosis, facial dysmorphia, syndactyly of the hands and feet and cardiac abnormalities. This case report highlights the importance of a careful clinical examination in adults with severe hypertension, without which coarctation of the aorta may go undiagnosed.