RESUMO
Malignant hypertension is a rare consequence of contraceptive use. We report here on two young women with malignant hypertension secondary to contraceptive use whose main symptomatology was neurological. Both patients had renal failure, severe left ventricle hypertrophy, and hemorrhagic stroke, all reversible after control of blood pressure and discontinuation of the contraceptive pill.
PIP: Although an association between oral contraceptives (OCs) and arterial hypertension has been well-documented, most studies have found only mild or moderate hypertension with reversal to normal levels 3 months after OC discontinuation. This paper presents two cases in which young women developed severe left ventricular hypertrophy and renal failure due to OC-induced malignization of hypertension. The first patient, a 23-year-old, was admitted to the hospital with a 3-day history of headache, mental confusion, and aggressiveness. 6 months before presentation, severe arterial hypertension had been diagnosed. At that time, she was advised to discontinue OCs (30 mcg of ethinyl estradiol and 150 mcg of levonorgestrel), which she had been taking for a year; she did not comply with this directive. The second patient, 21 years old, was admitted with accelerating hypertension. She had initiated OC use (30 mg of ethinyl estradiol and 150 mcg of levonorgestrel) 6 months earlier. 3 months after starting OC use, she developed headache and fatigue. Both women had a hemorrhagic cerebral accident as a complication of malignant hypertension. All neurologic, renal, and cardiovascular complications were reversible after OC discontinuation. OC-related malignant hypertension can be averted through effective control of blood pressure in OC users.