Hypertension and the heart

the long version

This is a report on proceedings of a hypertension symposium. The editors cover cardiac hypertrophy from several viewpoints -- structural, molecular, pathophysiological, and clinical. This is the 432nd volume in the series on advances in experimental medicine and biology. The purpose is to publish new information on the pathophysiology of hypertension. Medical residents, fellows, researchers, and practitioners who are interested in pathophysiology and the basic aspects of hypertension as well as the significance of left ventricular hypertrophy should find this text fascinating. The book is a good review of the structural changes of left ventricular hypertrophy and the epidemiology that results. Important pathophysiology and clinical aspects of hypertension are also discussed. The references at the end of each chapter are excellent, current, and extensive. The illustrations are all in black-and-white but add to the text. All chapters are relatively short and pertinent. The index is very helpful. This text will be useful for clinicians who are interested in the mechanisms of disease and curious about some of the basic science strategies for reducing left ventricular mass in the presence of hypertension (i.e., use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors). This book is well written. It is not a text of the management of hypertension such as the recent text by Beevers, Hypertension in Practice, 3rd Edition (Martin Dunitz, 1999) or Bohm's From Hypertension to Heart Failure (Springer-Verlag, 1998).