Subclinical target organ damage in normotensive and prehypertensive patients.

Abstract Prehypertension is a risk factor for the development of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate for the evidence of subclinical target organ damage in two groups of subjects without hypertension. This was a prospective cross-sectional study. Subjects seeking care for various clinical conditions in the hospital were invited for the survey. The subjects' were divided in to two groups according to their blood pressure: prehypertension (systolic blood pressure 120 to 139 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure, 80 to 89 mm Hg) and normotension (systolic blood pressure,