American Journal of Hypertension 1 Original article

It is widely accepted that endothelial dysfunction is the basis for the development of cardiovascular diseases, including cardiac remodeling, and that it predicts future cardiovascular mor-bidity.1 There have been a few reports showing a significant association between endothelial dysfunction and increased left ventricular mass (LVM),2–5 whereas 1 report could not find the association.6 In a recent prospective study, endothelial dys-function (investigated by intra-arterial infusions of acetylcho-line) was associated with the progression of LVM.5 Similarly, renal impairment is recognized as a powerful and independent risk factor for left ventricular hypertro-phy (LVH).7 LVH is a very common structural abnormality among patients with end-stage renal disease, with a preva-lence of more than 70%.8 More recently, a high prevalence of LVH has also been described in patients with less sever