title: [Importance of hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with ischemic events of the heart or brain].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy (H-LVH) is a potentially modifiable vascular risk factor (VRF) often overlooked in clinical practice. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of H-LVH in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) or ischemic stroke (IS).
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively assessed all the echocardiography studies of patients admitted with the diagnosis CHD or IS over a 4-year period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We studied 533 patients, 330 with CHD and 203 with IS. Mean age was 69 (±11) years, 61.5% males. Hypertension was the most common RF: 362 patients (67.9%) (CHD vs. IS: 70 vs. 64.5%; P=NS). H-LVH was seen in 234 patients (43.9%) (CHD vs. IS: 44.8 vs. 42.3%; P=NS). Patients with H-LVH were older and received a greater number of antihypertensive drugs at discharge. Half of patients with hypertension presented H-LVH (184 patients; 50.8%), with similar frequency in both groups (CHD vs. IS: 50.6 vs. 51.1%; P=NS). Neither patients' characteristics nor VRF with the exception of hypertension (P=.0001) were associated with H-LVH.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  H-LVH is a major VRF in patients with ischemic events in the heart and brain. Nearly half the patients present H-LVH, with a similar frequency in both groups. It is important to identify H-LVH in these patients to optimize treatment and improve long-term prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena, Sevilla, España. Electronic address: castillafernandez@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Castilla-Guerra
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Hospital de Valme, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, España.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Fernández-Moreno
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cardiología, Hospital de la Merced, Osuna (Sevilla) España.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aguilera-Saborido
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Neurología, Hospital de Valme, Sevilla España.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Solanella-Soler
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D002545:Brain Ischemia; D003327:Coronary Disease; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006321:Heart; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents
keywords: Coronary heart disease; Echocardiography; Ecocardiografía; Enfermedad coronaria; Hipertensión arterial; Hipertrofia ventricular izquierda; Hypertension; Ictus isquémico; Ischemic stroke; Left ventricular hypertrophy