D. Levy, R.J. Garrison, D.D. Savage, W.B. Kannel, W.P. Castelli, "Prognostic implications of echocardiographically determined left ventricular mass in the Framingham Heart Study," New England Journal of Medicine, 322:1561-66, 1990.
Daniel Levy (Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, Mass.): "We've known for some time about the hazards of hypertension. More recently, we've begun to learn about the effects of high blood pressure on the heart. All muscles, including the heart, respond to work by increasing in size, a process termed hypertrophy. The heart muscle hypertrophies in response to high blood pressure.
"Our study reveals that heart muscle hypertrophy is associated with substantial risk for the subsequent development of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks, stroke, and other events.
"This paper is important because we are now learning much more about our ability to prevent the development of cardiac hypertrophy. In particular, the early and aggressive treatment of hypertension can prevent, and in some...
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