[Benefits and risks of hypertension therapy from the cardiac viewpoint].

The poor prognosis of arterial hypertension is mainly determined by its cardiac organ damages. Even borderline arterial hypertension significantly increases coronary morbidity and mortality, particularly in the presence of other risk factors such as hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and cigarette smoking. Arterial hypertension causes myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis, and affects coronary microcirculation by structural and functional changes of the small intramural resistance arteries, rarefiction of arterioles and capillaries and a distinct disturbance of endothelial vasomotion (i.e. "hypertensive remodeling"). Moreover, the presence of arterial hypertension predisposes to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Regarding the benefit-risk-ratio of antihypertensive therapy, benefit is much greater than risk: 1) An antihypertensive treatment with ACE-inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, beta-receptorblockers and anti-sympathicotonic substances leads to both reversal of LV hypertrophy and improvement of coronary flow reserve. Incidence of hypertensive heart failure has dropped considerably during the last 20 years. 3) Intervention studies have shown at least a clear tendency of a reduction in coronary morbidity and mortality. 4) In patients with coronary artery disease diastolic blood pressure should not be lowered under 85 mm Hg (J-curve). 5) An antihypertensive treatment should not adversely influence blood lipids when cholesterol is elevated. 6) Even in very elderly patients medical intervention to lower blood pressure is indicated from the cardiologic point of view (SHEP- and SHOP-studies).