The Importance of Identifying Phenotypes in Arterial Hypertension

Assessing blood pressure (BP) levels involves understanding the relationship between BP and overall health. This requires accurate measurement, following the criteria recommended in the guidelines, to determine the true meaning of the measurement in the office and beyond. Within this hypertensive spectrum, with measurements at varying times, we can define various hypertensive phenotypes and their significance for cardiovascular risk. This knowledge has accumulated over time and has been increasingly refined with the advancement of medical and technological knowledge.

The first experimental measurement of BP was made in 1711 by Stephen Halles using a cannula in the crural artery of a horse and connecting it to a glass tube that raised the blood two and a half meters above the height of the animal. However, arterial hypertension was only clinically valued in 1896 with the invention of the first mercury column sphygmomanometer by the Italian Scipione Riva-Rocci, using a 4.4 cm wide cuff.

[…]