Cardiovascular and renal risk assessment as a guide for treatment in primary hypertension.
BP levels per se may be an unreliable indicator of risk in the individual patient. In fact, the global cardiovascular profile, including the presence and degree of target organ damage, is a better predictor of future events and, therefore, should be used to choose both treatment and BP goals. However, the prevalence of target organ damage and therefore the percentage of patients who are at risk very much depends on the diagnostic techniques used. However, as a result of the high prevalence of hypertension and its financial impact on public health systems, limiting unnecessary and extensive diagnostic tests also should be a priority. The routine search for microalbuminuria may lead to the detection of a significantly greater percentage of patients who are at high risk while contributing the optimization of the cost-effectiveness of diagnostic workup in hypertensive patients.
Pontremoli
Roberto
R
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. rpontrem@medicina.unige.it
Leoncini
Giovanna
G
Viazzi
Francesca
F
Parodi
Denise
D
Ratto
Elena
E
Vettoretti
Simone
S
Ravera
Maura
M
Tomolillo
Cinzia
C
Deferrari
Giacomo
G
D000419:Albuminuria / Q000150:complications; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment