Wall stress and hypertension.

The precise role that abnormal wall stress may play in the pathophysiology of hypertensive heart disease is not known. Hypertension is almost unique in that it ultimately affects all parts of the law of Laplace equation, i.e. intraventricular pressure changes and with the advent of left ventricular hypertrophy both internal radius and wall thickness alter. If heart failure supervenes the components of the equation change once more. This article will discuss the implications of abnormal wall stress at these various stages in hypertensive heart disease.