Left ventricular structure and diastolic function in subjects with two hypertensive parents

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Hypertension Research
• Clinical Echocardiography

Background:

• Essential hypertension has a significant genetic component.
• Early detection of cardiac structural changes in hypertension-prone individuals is crucial.
• Understanding factors influencing cardiac remodeling is key to preventing cardiovascular disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of a strong predisposition to essential hypertension on echocardiographic parameters.
• To assess the role of insulin sensitivity and cardiomyotrophic hormones in cardiac structure and function.
• To identify early markers of cardiovascular risk in normotensive individuals with hypertensive parents.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 26 normotensive subjects with two hypertensive parents and 26 matched controls.
• Echocardiography was used to assess left ventricular structure and function.
• Euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp studies and measurement of plasma hormones (renin, angiotensin-II, aldosterone, epinephrine, norepinephrine) were performed.

Main Results:

• Hypertension-prone subjects exhibited higher resting systolic and 24-h diastolic blood pressure compared to controls.
• Increased relative wall thickness (RWT) was observed in the hypertension-prone group.
• No significant differences were found in left ventricular mass index, diastolic function, insulin sensitivity, or plasma cardiomyotrophic hormone levels.

Conclusions:

• A strong predisposition to essential hypertension is associated with increased left ventricular RWT in normotensive young adults.
• This cardiac remodeling is primarily attributed to elevated systolic blood pressure.
• Insulin sensitivity and selected cardiomyotrophic hormones do not appear to be major contributors to this early cardiac structural change.