EVALUATION OF FREQUENCY OF TARGET ORGAN DAMAGE IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION WHO APPLIED FOR AN OUTPATIENT APPOINTMENT WITH A DOCTOR FOR THE FIRST TIME

The valuation of major risk factors (RF) and subclinical target organ damage (TOD) in 150 patients (104 men and 46 women aged from 40 to 64 years) first applied to the doctor with a steady increase in blood pressure was performed. The study results showed that patients who first applied to the doctor with a steady increase in blood pressure, have a large number of risk factors (1 to 8), the most frequently dyslipidemia, smoking and obesity, as well as a high prevalence of subclinical TOD, such as left ventricular hypertrophy and atherosclerotic lesions of magistral cerebral arteries. Particular attention is paid to the high prevalence of subclinical TOD among patients with low and moderate risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) according to the SCORE scale, widely used in Russia, especially in the practice of primary care physicians. Unfortunately, this scale does not account for the presence of many important markers of subclinical TOD which are asymptomatic. Therefore, there is a real risk of underestimation of cardiovascular complications, resulting in inadequate management strategies. So, the SCORE scale is advisable to apply as preliminary assessment, with subsequent clarification by risk stratification method based on «Framingham model,» after further investigation. Particular attention should be given to patients with low and moderate cardiovascular risk.

hypertension, target organ damage, risk factors, SCORE scale, Framingham model