Hypertensive Heart Disease Severity Scale (HHDS): Explanation and Clinical Context HHDS is a validated tool to assess the severity of cardiac involvement in patients with chronic hypertension.
It evaluates structural and functional parameters of the heart including left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), left atrial enlargement (LAE), diastolic dysfunction, and systolic dysfunction (EF <50%).
The cumulative score stratifies patients into stages 0–4, with higher stages indicating greater severity of hypertensive heart disease and increased risk for heart failure, arrhythmias, and other cardiovascular events.
This tool aids clinicians in risk stratification, monitoring disease progression, and tailoring antihypertensive therapy intensity.
Reference:
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Ganau A, Devereux RB, Roman MJ, et al. Patterns of left ventricular hypertrophy and geometric remodeling in essential hypertension. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1992;19:1550–1558.
Williams B, Mancia G, Spiering W, et al. 2018 ESC/ESH Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension. Eur Heart J. 2018;39:3021–3104. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehy339