Prognostic Role of Microvascular Damage and Effect of Treatment

In hypertension, the increase in peripheral resistance occurs at the level of microcirculation. It was clearly demonstrated that wall thickness is increased in relation to internal lumen and that this alteration significantly contributes to peripheral resistance. The increased media/lumen ratio may impair organ flow reserve. This may be important in the maintenance and, probably, also in the progressive worsening of hypertensive disease. The presence of structural alterations represents a prognostically relevant factor, in terms of development of target organ damage and incidence of cardiovascular events, thus allowing a prediction of hypertension complications.