[Ventricular arrhythmias and arterial hypertension]

Hypertension has two major consequences on the heart: left ventricular hypertrophy and morphological and functional alterations of the coronary macro- and microvessels. These two cardiac modifications are responsible for three types of complications: myocardial ischaemia, left ventricular dysfunction and electrical instability which are involved in the pathogenesis of ventricular arrhythmias in hypertensive patients. The mechanisms of ventricular arrhythmias in hypertension, their incidence and severity, and their therapeutic and clinical implications will be discussed in this review article.