title: [Hypertension and heart].
abstract: The term hypertensive heart disease covers the entities left ventricular hypertrophy, microangiopathy, diastolic and systolic dysfunction, und increased risk of arrhythmias. From the pathophysiological point of view this is caused by hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes, interstitial fibrosis and media hypertrophy of the arterioles. As an earliest sign of hypertensive heart disease a microangiopathy can be diagnosed. Also a diastolic dysfunction can be found as an early change. In further persisting arterial hypertension left ventricular hypertrophy develops (often asymmetric), and later a systolic dysfunction. Clinically, the patients suffer from angina pectoris, dyspnea and rhythm disorders. Left ventricular hypertrophy is associated with an increased risk of ventricular malignant arrhythmias. Thus, the main therapeutic principle should be antihypertensive therapy with the goal of regression of hypertrophy and, as a consequence, a decreased mortality risk.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kardiologie, Pneumologie und Angiologie, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf. hennersdorf@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
authors.forename: Marcus G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Hennersdorf
authors.forename: Bodo E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Strauer
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*