The Hypertensive Myocardium: From Microscopic Lesions to Clinical Complications and Outcomes

Abstract

The chronic hemodynamic load imposed by hypertension on the left ventricle leads to lesions in the myocardium that result in structural remodeling, which provides support for alterations in cardiac function, perfusion, and electrical activity that adversely influence the clinical evolution of hypertensive heart disease. Management must include detecting, reducing, and reversing left ventricular hypertrophy, as well as the detection and repair of microscopic lesions responsible for myocardial remodeling. Reducing the burden associated with hypertensive heart disease can be targeted using personalized treatment. The noninvasive, biomarker-mediated identification of subsets of patients with hypertensive heart disease is essential to provide personalized treatment.

Keywords: Arterial hypertension; Cardiomyocyte apoptosis; Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy; Hypertensive heart disease; Left ventricular hypertrophy; Microcirculation abnormalities; Myocardial fibrosis.