From Hypertension to Heart Failure

Arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease and heart fail­ ure are the commonest cardiovascular conditions to present in clinical practice. Over the past few years it has become in­ creasingly clear that they are closely and causally interrelated and that their relationship can have a significant bearing on prognosis. Epidemiological studies have shown that arterial hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for de­ veloping heart failure. Only one in four patients with hyper­ ten