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Early abnormalities of left ventricular function in essential hypertension induced by exercise
E J Marcó1, A M Dopico, F Otero
1División Hipertensión Arterial, Hospital Instituto de Cardiología, Academia Nacional de Medicina, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Medicina
|January 1, 1992
Summary
Essential hypertension impairs ventricular function during exercise, even before detectable heart muscle thickening. Hypertensive patients show reduced ejection fraction and peak filling rates compared to healthy individuals.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Physiology
- Hypertension Research
Background:
- Essential hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
- Ventricular function assessment is crucial for understanding cardiac health in hypertensive individuals.
- Early detection of cardiac abnormalities in hypertension is vital for timely intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate ventricular systolic and diastolic function in essential hypertensive patients at rest and during exercise.
- To compare the cardiac response to exercise between hypertensive and normotensive individuals.
- To investigate the relationship between blood pressure, ventricular function, and left ventricular mass.
Main Methods:
- Gated radionuclide ventriculography was used to measure ejection fraction (EF), peak filling rate (PFR), and peak ejection rate (PER).
- 42 essential hypertensive patients and 12 normotensive controls were studied at rest and during exercise.
- Left ventricular mass (LVM) was assessed to evaluate for hypertrophy.
Main Results:
- Hypertensive patients exhibited significantly lower PFR and EF during exercise compared to normotensives.
- The increase in PFR and EF from rest to exercise was diminished in hypertensive individuals.
- A significant negative correlation was found between resting systolic blood pressure and the variation in EF during exercise.
Conclusions:
- Abnormalities in both systolic and diastolic left ventricular function occur during exercise in hypertensive patients.
- These functional deficits may be present even before the development of detectable left ventricular hypertrophy.
- Exercise testing is valuable for uncovering subclinical cardiac dysfunction in essential hypertension.