title: [Impact of antihypertensive therapy on clinical status and quality of life in patients with initial manifestations of hypertensive encephalopathy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the clinical and instrumental characteristics of hypertensive encephalopathy (HE) in early stages, as well as the time course of their changes during long-term antihypertensive therapy (AHT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Prior to and after 9-month AHT, 57 patients aged 50-70 years who had uncomplicated grades 1-2 arterial hypertension (AH) with grades I-II HE underwent comprehensive examination comprising the studies of cognitive functions, quality of life (QL), hemorheology, and hemostasis, duplex scanning of great and intracerebral vessels, echocardiography, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, magnetic resonance imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Early-stage HE was characterized by more cerebral complaints, higher rates of hypertensive crises, a greater degree of psychoautonomic syndrome, and worse QL. Focal brain lesions were detected in 74%; left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was diagnosed in 61% of cases. All the patients were observed to have cognitive dysfunctions. AHT (amlodipine, lisinopril) produced a good antihypertensive effect and substantial improvements of the patients' cognitive functions, health status, and QL. LVH regression was achieved.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HE is a clinical manifestation of damage to the brain as the principal target organ in AH and should be therefore kept in mind in estimating the cardiovascular risk. The diagnosis of HE requires the use of tests to evaluate cognitive functions.
authors.forename: Iu Ia
authors.initials: IuIa
authors.lastname: Varakin
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Oshchepkova
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Gornostaeva
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Amintaeva
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kadykov
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kravchenko
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Prokopovich
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Manvelov
authors.forename: Z A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Suslina
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020343:Hypertensive Encephalopathy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D017585:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents