Plain chest radiograph in hypertensive patients — An analysis of cases seen in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Abstract

Aim: To analyze the chest findings in patients clinically diagnosed with hypertension at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria. Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients who had plain chest radiographs at the UNTH, Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria between 2009 and 2011. Results: Of the 500 patients studied, 60.2% (301/500) were females and 39.8% (199/500) were males. There were 9.8% (49/500) patients with normal chest findings while 90.2% (451/500) had diverse chest findings which included: cardiomegaly 69% (345/500)), aortomegaly 51% (255/500), artheromatous plaque 6.6% (33/500)), upper lobe blood vessel diversion 11% (55/500), and perivascular cuffing 5% (25/500). The remaining 0.8% (4/500) had unrelated chest findings. Conclusion: Simple chest radiograph interpreted by a competent radiologist is a very useful ancillary diagnostic tool in the detection and management of hypertension.

Keywords

• chest radiograph
• hypertension
• hypertensives