Cardiovascular risk stratification according to the 2003 ESH-ESC guidelines in uncomplicated patients with essential hypertension : comparison with the 1999 WHO/ISH guidelines criteria

The 20032 European Society of Hypertesion/European Society Cardiology (ESH-ESC)guidelines have recently proposed a new risk stratification scheme for estimating absolute risk for cardiovascular disease. At variance from the previous 1999 World Health Organization-International Society of Hypertension (WHO-ISH) guidelines, the new criteria include some additional risk factors such as obesity, abnormal high-density (HDL) or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and define a slight increase in creatinine and microalbuminuria as signs of target organ damage (TOD).