title: [Impact of arterial hypertension on the heart].
abstract: Heart involvement in systemic hypertension more often consists of a concentric left ventricular hypertrophy, rather than of an eccentric hypertrophy or of a left ventricular remodeling. These morphological abnormalities are seen in 25% of the hypertensive patients and can easily be diagnosed by using echocardiography. Underlying mechanisms of hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy are of 2 types: mechanical, mainly leading to myocyte hypertrophy; neuro-hormonal, mainly resulting in a fibroblastic proliferation. Associated with hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy is a poor spontaneous prognosis: arrhythmias, myocardial ischaemia (with or without narrowings of epicardial arteries), abnormalities in left ventricular diastolic function. Anti-hypertensive drugs result in an additional benefit, in terms of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, when both a reduction in blood pressure and a regression of left ventricular hypertrophy can be achieved.
authors.affiliation: Service de cardiologie CHU La Milètrie, Poitiers.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Herpin
mesh_terms: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology; D002455:Cell Division; D003971:Diastole; D004452:Echocardiography; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000473:pathology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000209:etiology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents