[Cardiovascular risk stratification and therapeutic implications in arterial hypertension]

To improve the prevention of cardiovascular complications and events in hypertensive patients, it is of major importance to estimate the patient's individual risk for cardiovascular events. Antihypertensive treatment should not only be based on blood pressure values anymore, but also on the patient's comorbidities and risk profile. Risk stratification takes into account cardiovascular risk factors, diabetes, asymptomatic organ damage and established cardiovascular or renal disease. The most important markers for asymptomatic organ damage which should be searched for are microalbuminuria and LVH. Current guidelines emphasize the importance of the adaption and selection of treatment according to asymptomatic and established organ damage and provide assistance for treatment decisions. They focus also on the different non-pharmacological therapy options and lifestyle modifications. The goal of this article is to summarize the most important innovations and to point out the importance of simple tools for the implementation of cardiovascular risk stratification in hypertensive patients.