An Assessment of Difference in Manifestations of Mixed and Isolated Hypertension In Terms Of Their Signs and Symptoms in Hypertensive Patients

Background: It is not an uncommon practice to report the prevalence and effects of mixed hypertension and isolated hypertension on that of a patient’s well-being separately. Though such outcomes have been reported to be dissimilar by a number of studies, literature do not shed any light on whether the two types of hypertension i.e. Mixed and isolated differ from each other in their manifestations. Objective: To determine the difference in manifestations of mixed and isolated hypertension in terms of their signs and symptoms in hypertensive patients. Methods: After taking ethical approval, a cross-sectional study was carried out among 152 conveniently sampled patients, aged 18 years or above, with self-reported history of hypertension who were taking anti-hypertensive medication. According to their blood pressure levels, patients were divided into two groups, those with mixed hypertension and those with isolated hypertension. A structured questionnaire was used to take a brief medical history whereas sphygmomanometer with stethoscope was used to measure the blood pressure of the patients. Results: The study results revealed that among the signs and symptoms of hypertension only nausea was found to have a statistically significant association with type of hypertension (p=0.014). Furthermore, both history of headache and severity of chest pain were found to have only marginally insignificant associations with type of hypertension (p=0.063 and p=0.054 respectively). None of the other signs and symptoms of hypertension were associated with type of hypertension. Conclusion: The study results revealed that only nausea had a statistically significant association with type of hypertension though both history of headache and severity of chest pain had only marginally insignificant associations with type of hypertension. Special focus on these symptoms by health care professionals during hypertension screening is recommended. Keywords: Manifestations; Mixed Hypertension; Isolated Hypertension; Signs and Symptoms; Hypertensive Patients