The constellation of hypertensive heart disease.
Hypertension should be regarded not as a simple elevation of blood pressure, but as a constellation of functional and structural abnormalities that create a phenotypic portrait of hypertensive disease. Recent research has expanded our knowledge related to hypertensive heart disease. Future assessment of hypertensive patients' global risk should probably incorporate not only evaluation of the known traditional risk factors, such as hypercholesterolaemia, smoking, glucose levels and left ventricular hypertrophy, but also myocardial fibrosis, microvascular ischaemia, arterial stiffness, systemic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and level of apoptosis.
Pavlopoulos
Harry
H
Cardiology Department, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College of Medicine and Technology, NHLI, London, UK. drpavlo@yahoo.com
Nihoyannopoulos
Petros
P
D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*