ABSTRACT
Hypertension is the most prevalent cardiovascular (CV) disorder, affecting 20–50% of the adult population worldwide, and ranking, in a comparative risk assessment of 84 risk factors and risk factor clusters, high for global disease burden. Observational studies have found that blood pressure correlates inversely with cognitive function and that hypertension is associated with an increased incidence of dementia. Use of the Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation chart for estimating total CV risk in hypertension should be considered a minimal requirement taking into account the fact that total CV risk can be underestimated. Standard two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography is more sensitive than electrocardiography in diagnosing left ventricular hypertrophy and predicting CV and renal risk; it may also be more helpful in risk stratification. While three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) is a more reliable method for quantitative analysis, and for Left ventricular mass in particular, there is limited evidence for 3DE reference values and prognostic validation.
