[Lesions of target organs in arterial hypertension]

A total of 530 patients with a variety of hypertensive conditions, including 476 patients with labile and stable essential hypertension, 40 with hypertensive chronic diffuse glomerulonephritis and hypertensive chronic pyelonephritis, and 14 with vasorenal hypertension, were investigated. Structure and function of target organs (the heart and the kidneys) were assessed by means of echocardiography (530) and intravital morphologic studies of renal biopsy specimens (89). A heterogeneous nature of hypertrophic developments associated with essential hypertension was demonstrated, with adequate, inadequate, disproportionate and excessive hypertrophy identified, while no correlation could be found between the kind of hypertension and the degree and nature of hypertrophy. Renal morphologic changes were also shown to be heterogeneous in labile and stable arterial hypertension, and early involvement of the renal mechanism presenting as structural changes was found to be possible.