title: Hypertension and the heart.
abstract: The interactions linking high blood pressure with hypertensive heart disease are reciprocal. Hypertension can be regarded as a source of adverse effects on myocardial structure and function by favoring the development and progression of left ventricular hypertrophy and of left ventricular dysfunction and failure in the advanced phases of the disease. Conversely, the heart can be regarded as a source of reflex influences on the cardiovascular system, which appear to be deranged in the hypertensive state. The clinical relevance of this reflex dysfunction is based on the evidence that these alterations may favor the occurrence of an increased sympathetic vasoconstrictor drive, thereby promoting the development of the1 hypertensive state. Both phenomena have important clinic and therapeutic implications potentiating the cardiovascular risk profile of the hypertensive patient.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Medica, Università Milano-Bicocca, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza, Milano, Italy. giuseppe.mancia@unimib.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mancia
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scopelliti
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grassi
mesh_terms: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents