Hypertensive children should be assessed for
target organ damage, which can affect the heart, retina, kidneys and nervous system.
In order to approach the ambitious task of mapping mechanisms specific for these potential
target organs, a three-step approach was taken to identify the potential pathways of
target organ toxicity.
Kidneys are the
target organ of hypertension, as well as the initiating organ of renal hypertension, and hypertension is related to the occurrence and progression of CKD (Bloomfield et al., 2013; Zheng et al., 2013).
The study showed that acute or worsening heart failure was the most frequent
target organ injury (49.6 per cent) followed by non-ST elevation myocardial infarction-type of heart attack (41.7 per cent).
"Carefully selected interventions that improve patients' adherence to medications, and strategies that help providers to overcome clinical inertia, or a failure to increase therapy when blood pressure goals are unmet, may potentially reduce
target organ damage associated with hypertensive emergencies." ( ANI )
To look for evidence of
target organ damage in hypertensive patients.
Compared to whites, hypertension in blacks is more prevalent, more severe, has an onset earlier in life, and is linked to a higher burden of
target organ damage.
Akoglu, "Association between salt sensitivity and
target organ damage in essential hypertension," American Journal of Hypertension, vol.
If undiagnosed, high blood pressure can lead to"possible
target organ damage in the brain, eyes, heart and kidneys," said study leader Dr.
"It is recommended that echocardiography be performed to assess for cardiac
target organ damage (left ventricular mass, geometry, and function) at the time of consideration of pharmacologic treatment of HTN," they wrote, suggesting repeat echocardiography could be used to monitor
target organ damage at 6- to 12-month intervals.