Why take organ damage in hypertension seriously?

Abstract

The focus of recent European guidelines has been early initiation of antihypertensive therapy in risk groups, rapid achievement of target blood pressure with fixed combinations of antihypertensive drugs, and the best possible management of an individuals cardiovascular risk. Early intervention in the development of hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD) has been shown to have an effect on the subsequent reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events. The point of HMOD origination correlates with the magnitude and duration of blood pressure elevation, and there is no clearly defined boundary from which vascular damage begins to develop. A reduction in blood pressure with pharmacotherapy demonstrably decreases the risk of ischaemic heart disease, stroke, as well as the mortality rate (1). Large clinical trials have consistently shown a significant reduction in the risk of these complications with antihypertensive medications across the entire spectrum from mild to severe hypertension, including hypertension in the elderly as well as isolated systolic hypertension (2). Based on the latest knowledge, a reduction in blood pressure by a mere 5 mm Hg has a cardioprotective effect even in normotensive individuals, which fundamentally changes the view on the diagnosis and definition of hypertension as a disease (3).