Hypertensie bij jongvolwassenen: aanwijzing voor mogelijke coarctatio aortae

Three adult patients, a woman aged 37 and two men aged 22 and 23 years respectively, were admitted due to an unexplained hypertension. After a significant delay, the diagnosis of aortic coarctation was established for these patients. In two of them the abnormality was operatively corrected and the blood pressure subsequently normalised; the third patient is on the waiting list for the operation. In all three patients an earlier diagnosis could have been established, had accurate blood-pressure measurements of both arms and at least one leg been performed. Late detection and treatment of aortic coarctation have a profound detrimental effect on survival. Therefore it is extremely important to accurately measure the blood pressure in the limbs of young patients with hypertension