Background: The available studies have not fully analyzed the several factors involved in the genesis of hypertension (HT), especially the association among blood pressure, urinary sodium excretion and renal dysfunction.

Background: The arterial hypertension varies in according to the circadian cycle, presenting physiologic fall of blood pressure (BP) during sleep (dipping). The absence of this fall or its increase associates to higher incidence of targetorgan damages.

We report on a case of a 54-year-old man suffering from untreated high blood pressure who presented with a hypertensive emergency and target-organ damage. Initially, he was treated for myocardial infarction but later was diagnosed as having a type-A aortic dissection which was successfully operated with adequate control of blood pressure within the first 24 hours. We emphasize the necessity of the differential diagnosis of thoracic pain in the hospital emergency department and the correct treatment of arterial hypertension aiming at a better prognosis over the long term. Descriptors

No abstract