Cardiac hypertrophy and hypertension.

In the general population and in patients with essential hypertension the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular events, independent of blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors. The prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy increases with age and with the severity of renal impairment. Left ventricular hypertrophy is also a sensitive indicator of vascular structural changes in both large and small arteries. The possibility of reversing left ventricular hypertrophy therefore represents a major therapeutic goal for the treatment of hypertensive patients. Several studies examining the characteristics of left ventricular hypertrophy in the elderly, the interrelations between cardiac and vascular hypertrophy, the possibility of reversing left ventricular hypertrophy and its consequent prognostic value will be reported and commented on in the present review.