High blood pressure and damage to the target organs

The management of hypertension (HT) aims to prevent complications in the various target organs such as the heart kidneys brain and blood vessels. The cardiac complications of HT are grouped under the term hypertensive cardiopathy. This entity contains three different types of pathologies connected to each other. These types are left ventricular hypertrophy coronary ischemia and heart failure. HT is also a factor promoting heart rate disturbances at the auricular stage and at the ventricular stage through left ventricular hypertrophy and probably from a silent myocardial ischemia. As for renal damage the kidney is considered to be one of the principal targets of HT through slight or moderate arteriolar nephrosclerosis which can include the appearance of an attack on renal function or microalbuminuria as cardiovascular risk factors. Chronic HT leads to hypertrophy of the media as well as remodeling of the cerebral vessels thus protecting them in several ways. These structural modifications in cerebral circulation greatly increase the risk of cerebrovascular accident. Antihypertensive treatment is an excellent prevention. Cerebrovascular accidents in HT may be or ischemic or hemorrhagic in origin. Arterial damage is reflected by two major types; atherosclerosis with stenotic complications and arteriosclerosis with rigidity of the wall. These functional and structural arterial abnormalities are associated with an alteration in the flow-dependent endothelial response. The prevention of this damage during HT is based on antihypertensive treatment. The arterial system is altered early. This disorder plays a role which complements the morbid and/or mortal problems of ischemia attacking the heart the brain the kidney and the peripheral limbs.