The growing intersection of obesity and hypertensive heart disease: a call to action

Hypertensive heart disease (HHD) is one of the most unrecognized but important expressions of the cardiovascular disease continuum [1].Although coronary artery disease and stroke have tended to dominate the global prevention initiatives, HHD which is characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy, fibrosis, and ultimate heart failure, is one of the main contributors to CVD related morbidity, mortality and economic burden [2].In this issue, Xu et al. provide an important contribution to our understanding of this condition by quantifying the burden of HHD attributable to high body mass index (HBMI) between 1990 and 2021 and projecting trends through 2040 [2].Their findings underscore a growing crisis at the intersection of obesity and hypertension, two modifiable risk factors that are accelerating the global cardiovascular epidemic.