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[The regression of left ventricular hypertrophy following a short antihypertensive treatment]
Insights
Verapamil and atenolol effectively reduced mean parietal thickness in hypertensive patients. Verapamil significantly decreased left ventricular mass, indicating potential for regression of cardiac hypertrophy in essential hypertension.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
- Hypertension Research
Background:
- Essential hypertension can lead to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), a significant risk factor for cardiovascular events.
- Assessing the regression of left ventricular mass (LVM) is crucial for managing hypertensive heart disease.
- Understanding the impact of different antihypertensive medications on cardiac structure is important for treatment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the regression of ventricular mass in patients with essential hypertension, with or without pre-existing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).
- To evaluate the effects of atenolol, verapamil, and xipamide on left ventricular mass (LVM), mean parietal thickness (MPT), and relative parietal thickness (RPT).
Main Methods:
- A study involving 42 male and female patients with essential hypertension.
- Echocardiographic measurements of LVM, MPT, and RPT were taken before and after one month of treatment.
- Patients were randomly assigned to receive atenolol, verapamil, or xipamide, irrespective of blood pressure control.
Main Results:
- Significant reductions in MPT were observed with verapamil (p = 0.006) and atenolol (p = 0.036).
- Only verapamil demonstrated a significant reduction in LVM.
- Relative parietal thickness showed no significant modification, with opposing trends between xipamide and the other two drugs.
Conclusions:
- Verapamil and atenolol show potential in reducing cardiac structural changes in hypertension.
- Adequate blood pressure control, regardless of the medication, aids in the regression of ventricular mass.
- The initial degree of LVH does not appear to influence treatment response regarding regression.
Abstract:
With the objective of trying to prove the regression of ventricular mass in patients with essential hypertension, with and without left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), we studied 42 patients of both sexes with echocardiography, measuring the left ventricular mass (LVM), the mean parietal thickness (MPT) and the relative parietal thickness (RPT), before and after one month of random treatment with atenolol, verapamil and xipamide, independently that the blood pressure control was or not satisfactory. We found significant reductions in the MPT with verapamil and atenolol (p = 0.006 and 0.036), although only verapamil induced a significant reduction of the LVM. The RPT did not shown any significant modification, although the tendency was opposed with xipamide and the other two groups, verapamil and atenolol. The factor Adequate control of the blood pressure, with any of the treatments, proved to be helpful in the favorable evolution of the regression. The degree of LVH before treatment does not appear to have any influence in the posterior evolution with the treatment.