La hipertensión arterial, ¿Sólo un biomarcador de la enfermedad ateroesclerótica sistémica? / Hypertension as a biological marker of systemic atherosclerotic disease

There is a close link between hypertension and atherosderosis. Hypertension causes atherosclerotic damage of several organs, called target organs and the risk factors for hypertension and atherosderosis are very similar. The risk of mortality associated to hypertension increases with blood pressure values below the cutoff point of normality (140/90 mm Hg), even below 130/85 mm Hg, and includes a stage called pre hypertension. Moreover, the initial damage of the arterial walls and target organs are present before there is a significant elevation of blood pressure. Therefore, hypertension could become a biological marker of the evolution of an underlying atherosclerotic process. A new pathophysiological paradigm has been proposed in which the severity of hypertension is not classified according to blood pressure values, but rather on the initiation and progression of vascular damage among target organs. These alterations determine the prognosis and management of systemic vascular damage that can be called "hypertensive atherosclerotic disease" or simply systemic atherosclerotic disease.

Daño cardiovascular por material particulado del aire. Puesta al día 2008 / Association between air pollution and cardiovascular risk

A clear cut relationship between particulate matter air contamination and the mortality and morbidity due to respiratory disease has been observed in the last decades. However there is also a relationship between air pollution and cardiovascular diseases. In big cities, a big or small particle concentration increase of 10 ¡xg/m³ is associated with a significantly higher risk of ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction, both when acute or chronic exposures are considered. The risk is higher for small particles. Similar risk increases are observed in patients with hypertension, stroke or severe arrhythmias. This association is independent of environmental distracters such as weather, temperature or humidity and of classical cardiovascular risk factors such as age, diabetes, dyslipidemia and obesity. Physicians should be aware of the problem and explain their patients the increased risk that they are facing due to air pollution (Rev Méd Chile 2009; 137: 1217-24).