Clinical and prognostic value of hypertensive cardiac damage in the PAMELA Study.

Because subclinical alterations in cardiovascular structure reflect cumulative damage induced by risk factors and represent an intermediate stage between risk factor exposure and cardiovascular events, this damage is regarded as a marker of increased cardiovascular risk in different clinical settings, including the general population. The Pressioni Monitorate e Loro Associazioni (PAMELA) is an originally designed research study aimed at assessing the normal values and prognostic significance of ambulatory and home blood pressure in a representative sample of the Northern Italian general population. Because the study protocol included the collection of electrocardiographic (ECG) and echocardiographic (ECHO) data, the prevalence and clinical correlates, as well as the prognostic value of subclinical cardiac alterations, have been extensively investigated. This article is a review of the findings of the PAMELA study regarding the clinical aspects and prognostic significance of cardiac abnormal phenotypes such as left ventricular hypertrophy, left atrial dilatation and aortic root dilation.