Watch your Heart!

Authors

  • Andreia Godinho de Sousa Médica Interna de Formação Específica em Medicina Geral e Familiar, Unidade de Saúde Familiar Famílias, ULS Entre Douro e Vouga, Lourosa, Portugal
  • Suzie Leandro Médica Interna de Formação Específica em Medicina Geral e Familiar, Unidade de Saúde Familiar Famílias, ULS Entre Douro e Vouga, Lourosa, Portugal
  • Daniela de Azevedo Médica Interna de Formação Específica em Medicina Geral e Familiar, Unidade de Saúde Familiar Famílias, ULS Entre Douro e Vouga, Lourosa, Portugal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58043/rphrc.172

Keywords:

arterial hypertension, smartwatch, primary health care

Abstract

Arterial hypertension (HTN) is often asymptomatic and underdiagnosed, particularly in young adults. We report the case of a 21-year-old man, otherwise healthy and with no relevant medical history, who sought medical attention following the detection of nocturnal tachycardia using a personal monitoring smartwatch. On physical examination, he presented with elevated blood pressure and a body mass index consistent with overweight. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring confirmed the diagnosis of hypertension. An etiological investigation was initiated, including referral to Internal Medicine, with no secondary cause identified. A non-pharmacological approach was adopted, consisting of lifestyle modifications. After six months, blood pressure values had normalized. This case highlights the contribution of emerging technologies in the early detection of cardiovascular alterations, as well as the role of the family physician in education, follow-up, and coordination with specialized care, and the effectiveness of behavioural interventions in the management of hypertension.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Whelton PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, Casey DE Jr, Collins KJ, Dennison Himmelfarb C, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;71(19):e127–e248. doi:10.1161/HYP.0000000000000065

PoulterNR, PrabhakaranD, CaulfieldM.Hypertension. Lancet. 2015;386(9995):801–12. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61468-9

World Health Organization. Hypertension. [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2021. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension [acedido a 1 de maio de 2025]

Direção-Geral da Saúde. Programa Nacional para as Doenças Cérebro-Cardiovasculares 2017-2020. [Internet]. Lisboa: DGS; 2020. Available from: https://www.dgs.pt/directrizes-da-dgs/normas-e-circulares-normativas/norma-n-0262011-de-29092011-atualizada-a-19032013-jpg.aspx [acedido a 1 de maio de 2025]

Zhou B, Perel P, Mensah GA, Ezzati M. Global epidemiology, health burden and effective interventions for elevated blood pressure and hypertension. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2021;18(11):785–802. doi:10.1038/s41569-021-00559-8

Hinton TC, Adams ZH, Baker RP, Hope KA, Paton JFR, Hart EC, et al. Investigation and treatment of high blood pressure in young people: too much medicine or appropriate risk reduction? Hypertension. 2020;75(1):16–22. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.13820

McEvoy JW, McCarthy CP, Bruno RM, Brouwers S, Canavan MD, Ceconi C, et al. 2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension: Developed by the task force on the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and endorsed by the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) and the European Stroke Organisation (ESO). Eur Heart J. 2024;45(38):3912–4018. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehae178

Filippou C, Tatakis F, Polyzos D, Manta E, Thomopoulos C, Nihoyannopoulos P, et al. Overview of salt restriction in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Mediterranean diet for blood pressure reduction. Rev Cardiovasc Med. 2022;23(1):36. doi:10.31083/j.rcm2301036

Filippou CD, Tsioufis CP, Thomopoulos CG, Mihas CC, Dimitriadis KS, Sotiropoulou LI, et al. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet and Blood Pressure Reduction in Adults with and without Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Adv Nutr. 2020;11(5):1150–1160. doi:10.1093/advances/nmaa041

Published

2025-11-15

How to Cite

1.
Godinho de Sousa A, Leandro S, de Azevedo D. Watch your Heart!. RH [Internet]. 2025 Nov. 15 [cited 2025 Nov. 18];(110):5-8. Available from: https://revistahipertensao.pt/index.php/rh/article/view/172

Issue

Section

Caso Clínico