The prevalence of diastolic dysfunction in adult hypertensive nigerians

The prevalence of hypertension ranges between 10 to 20% in Nigeria. Studies elsewhere have revealed left ventricular diastolic dysfunction to be highly prevalent in hypertension.

To evaluate the prevalence of diastolic dysfunction in adult hypertensive Nigerians.

One hundred and five (105) hypertensive patients, with ages ranging from 18 to 85 years, were enrolled between November 1998 and January 2000. These were divided into 3 groups of 35 each, according to levels of diastolic blood pressure as mild, moderate and severe hypertension. The weight, height, body surface area, body mass index, heart rate and systolic as well as diastolic blood pressures were checked. They were all investigated with M-mode, two-dimensional and pulsed Doppler echocardiographic techniques.

Diastolic dysfunction was found in 82.86% (87) of the 105 hypertensive patients (P<0.0001). Twenty six (74.29%) of the 35 mildly hypertensive; 28 (80%) of the moderately hypertensive, and 33 (94.29%) of the severely hypertensive patients had diastolic dysfunction. This is as compared to only 12(34.29%) of the 35 normotensive patients who had diastolic dysfunction.

The findings from the study show that diastolic dysfunction is highly prevalent in unselected adult Nigerian patients with primary hypertension. This result is in keeping with, and even outstrips, the findings in other related works. It is recommended from this study, that as much as practicable, hypertensive patients be evaluated with Doppler echocardiogram in order to detect the early effects of hypertension on the heart, especially as represented by diastolic dysfunction, with a view to affecting the management outcome.