Metabolic syndrome and target organ damage: role of blood pressure

Abstract

A growing body of evidence indicates that the clustering of metabolic and hemodynamic abnormalities characterizing the metabolic syndrome is associated with a prevalence of subclinical damage in a variety of organs, such as left ventricular hypertrophy, thickening or atherosclerotic plaques of carotid arteries, microalbuminuria and deranged renal function. This is clinically relevant since these markers of target organ damage are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular fatal and nonfatal events. The contribution of the metabolic syndrome to target organ damage in hypertensives is presumably responsible for a substantial increase in cardiovascular fatal and nonfatal events. Thus, target organ damage should be routinely searched for in hypertensives with metabolic syndrome in order to define initial therapeutic strategies and to monitor treatment-induced protection.

Keywords::

• carotid atherosclerosis
• hypertension
• left ventricular hypertrophy
• metabolic syndrome
• microalbuminuria

Financial & competing interests disclosure

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.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.