High salt intake: a cause of blood pressure-independent left ventricular hypertrophy?

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a frequent and well-recognized consequence of a chronically elevated blood pressure (BP). Several studies have demonstrated that LVH is an independent cardiovascular risk factor, associated with an increased likelihood to develop cardiovascular complications such as congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, coronary heart disease and stroke [1,2]. Conversely, an aggressive treatment of hypertension can prevent and reverse LVH and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events [3,4].