‘Altered mental status’ could signal your blood pressure is dangerously high - what is it?

“Given the vagueness of the term, it is imperative to understand its key components before considering a differential diagnosis,” the article states.

Fundamentally, it says, mental status is a combination of the patient’s level of consciousness (i.e., attentiveness) and cognition (i.e., mental processes or thoughts). Patients may have disorders of one or both.

Delirium – an abrupt change in the brain that causes mental confusion and emotional disruption – is a commonly reported example of an altered mental status, it adds.

What causes a hypertensive emergency?

According to Mayo Clinic, causes of a hypertensive emergency include:

• Forgetting to take your blood pressure medication
• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Kidney failure
• Rupture of your body’s main artery (aorta)
• Interaction between medications
• Convulsions during pregnancy (eclampsia).