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Hypertensive crisis in children usually manifests as encephalopathy or end-organ damage. Three case reports illustrate that hypertensive crises may present as isolated abdominal complaints.
The first patient, a 4-year-old boy, had a 1-week history of worsening abdominal pain and a blood pressure of 270/170 mm Hg. End-stage renal disease was the cause of his hypertension. The second child, a 10-month-old boy, had a 4- week history of cyclic vomiting. His pressure ranged from 150 to 220 mm Hg systolic and from 100 to 140 diastolic. He was ultimately diagnosed with renal artery stenosis. The third child, age 3 1/2, had a 2-day history of abdominal pain and a blood pressure that rose to 180/120 mm Hg. He had glomerulonephritis following a probab…