Aortic valve stenosis and arterial hypertension: a synopsis in 2013.

Systemic hypertension and aortic valve stenosis (AVS) are both age-related diseases. The pathophysiology of AVS shares some similarities with essential hypertension, which might be the link between the two diseases. Although AS is usually related with low blood pressure levels, approximately one third of patients with severe AS suffer from arterial hypertension, a percentage that can increase up to 50 % according some studies. This review will summarize various aspects regarding the prevalence the pathophysiology and the natural history of those two diseases that seems to be linked, as well as the effect of blood pressure and antihypertensive treatment on various echocardiographic parameters in patients with AVS.