Symptoms:

• Blurred vision
• Change in mental status
  • Anxiety
  • Confusion
  • Decreased alertness, decreased ability to concentrate
  • Fatigue
  • Restlessness
  • Sleepiness, stupor, lethargy
• Chest pain (feeling of crushing or pressure)
• Cough
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Numbness of the arms, legs, face, or other areas
• Reduced urine
• Seizure
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness of the arms, legs, face, or other areas

Signs and tests:

Malignant hypertension is a medical emergency.

A physical exam commonly shows:

• Extremely high blood pressure
• Swelling in the lower legs and feet
• Abnormal heart sounds and fluid in the lungs
• Changes in thinking, sensation, muscle ability, and reflexes

An eye examination will reveal changes that indicate high blood pressure, including:

• Bleeding of the retina
• Narrowing of the blood vessels in the eye area
• Swelling of the optic nerve
• Other problems with the retina

Kidney failure, as well as other complications, may develop.

Tests to determine damage to the kidneys may include:

• Arterial blood gas analysis
• BUN
• Creatinine
• Urinalysis

A chest x-ray may show congestion in the lung and an enlarged heart.

This disease may also affect the results of the following tests:

• Aldosterone level
• Cardiac enzymes (markers of heart damage)
• CT scan of the brain
• Electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Renin level
• Urinary sediment