Epidemiology of left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertension: implications for the clinic

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a common complication to hypertension, indicating the presence of hypertensive heart disease, which puts the patient at a very high risk for subsequent clinical cardiovascular events like sudden cardiac death, stroke, myocardial infarction and heart failure.

Areas covered: The epidemiology of LVH has changed in recent years as a consequence of the development of new diagnostic tools and demographic changes in hypertensive populations.

Expert commentary: In individual hypertensive patients, the presence and type of LVH and associated systolic and diastolic myocardial dysfunction is modified by the co-presence of other cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities and as well as activation of the reninangiotensin-aldosterone system and other molecular mechanisms involved in LVH pathophysiology. The purpose of this review is to give a clinical update on LVH in hypertension.

KEYWORDS:

• Left ventricular hypertrophy
• left ventricular concentric geometry
• arterial hypertension
• obesity
• sex
• left ventricular systolic function
• left ventricular diastolic function
• echocardiography
• myocardial function
• hypertensive heart disease

Declaration of interests

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.