[Complementary tests: conventional and Holter electrocardiography].

Abstract

Arterial hypertension can cause left ventricular hypertrophy and consequent hypertensive cardiopathy, a condition that is associated with the development of heart failure, arrhythmia and ischemia. Electrocardiography is the oldest and simplest method for diagnosing left ventricular hypertrophy: nevertheless, though established electrocardiographic criteria are highly specific, their sensitivity is low, far below that of echocardiography. There are, however, new electrocardiographic criteria with improved sensitivity; moreover, the presence of electrocardiographic signs of hypertrophy in a hypertensive patient makes a diagnosis of hypertrophy highly probable. The Holter monitor has many applications in the assessment of hypertensive patients. It identifies auricular and ventricular arrhythmias in terms of anatomical patterns, and can be used to evaluate drug response and detect the presence of silent ischemia and sudden death. In conclusion, electrocardiography is an easily accessible tool and a highly useful one in the management of hypertensive patients, in spite of its limitations.