Observational study
End organ damage in patients with hypertenion: a magnetic resonance imaging approach.

Background:

Hypertension causes subclinical and clinical damage in end organs. The exact manifestations of end organ damage in hypertension itself are unknown. Recently, MRI has been established as an accurate, non-invasive tool for assessment of organ damage in the heart, the aorta and the brain. The aim of our study is assess subclinical and clinical manifestations of end organ damage in the heart, the aorta and the brain in patients with hypertension by 3Tesla MRI.




Methods:

We will perform an observational study in patients with hypertension. Patients are derived from the “Leiden Hypertensive clinic” at the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC). In the next two years, we will include approximately 200 patients. Also, 25 healthy volunteers will be included as control subject. Besides routine hypertension screening, patients will undergo MR assessment of the heart, the aorta and the brain.




Expected results:

MRI will be an accurate, non-invasive tool to further delineate the phenotype of end organ damage in patients with hypertension.

Hypertension causes subclinical and clinical damage in end organs. The exact manifestations of end organ damage in hypertension itself are unknown. The hypothesis is that differences in the cardiovascular risk profile in hypertensive patients are associated with specific symptomatic and asymptomatic manifestations of microvascular disease.

N/A

MR assesment heart, aorta and brain.