Korean J Med.  2009 Apr;76(4):402-408.

The clinical significance of new surrogate markers of hypertension

• Kim KS

Abstract

Recently, the management of hypertension has focused on the prevention of target organ damage to organs such as the heart, kidney, brain, and blood vessels. To detect subclinical organ damage, several novel surrogate markers were established after amassing considerable evidence. Left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction measured by echocardiography, carotid intima-media thickness, ankle-brachial index, pulse wave velocity, central blood pressure, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and microalbuminuria have been proposed as new parameters to detect subclinical organ damage in patients with hypertension. The European guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension, published in 2007, suggested that risk stratification based on using new surrogate markers was important for classifying the stage of hypertension and choosing appropriate anti-hypertensive drugs. Therefore, these surrogate markers should be checked in the early phase of hypertension and their clinical importance considered in daily practice.

Keyword

Hypertension; Surrogate marker; LVH; Pulse wave velocity; Microalbuminuria

MeSH Terms

Ankle Brachial Index
Antihypertensive Agents
Biomarkers
Blood Pressure
Blood Vessels
Brain
Carotid Intima-Media Thickness
Echocardiography
Glomerular Filtration Rate
Heart
Humans
Hypertension
Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular
Kidney
Pulse Wave Analysis
Antihypertensive Agents