title: Prevalence and severity of echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive patients in clinical practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in human hypertension has been mostly documented in population-based samples and selected hypertensive cohorts. Rather scant data are available from clinical practice. Thus, we examined the prevalence of LVH in a large group of hypertensive patients referred by general practitioners to a routine echocardiographic examination.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 2249 hypertensive subjects (mean age 62 years, 52.3% men, 84.5% treated) referred by their practitioners to 17 outpatient echocardiographic laboratories across Italy for detection of hypertensive early cardiac damage were included in the study. LVH was defined as left ventricular mass (A) ≥ 225/163 g, (B) ≥ 116/96 g/m(2), (C) ≥ 49/45 g/m(2.7) in men/women, respectively; LVH was graded as mild, moderate and severe according to Lang's report.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, patients with LVH were 58%, 58% and 65% by criteria A, B and C, respectively. LVH was mild in 33% (A), 36% (B) and 29% (C), moderate in 31% (A), 28% (B) and 27% (C), and severe in 36% (A), 36% (B) and 44% (C).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data provided by this multicentre nationwide survey support the view that, despite therapeutic interventions, LVH remains a highly frequent phenotype in human hypertension and that severe LVH is present in a large fraction of hypertensives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Prevention, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy. cesare.cuspidi@unimib.it
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cuspidi
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.forename: Maria Lorenza
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Muiesan
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capra
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lonati
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milan
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morganti
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index