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Improvement in left ventricular hypertrophy and left ventricular diastolic function following verapamil therapy in
P Granier1, M Y Douste-Blazy, P Tredez
1Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Purpan, Toulouse, France.
Insights
Verapamil therapy improved left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic function in hypertensive patients. Blood pressure normalized without impacting systolic function after three months of treatment.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
- Hypertension Research
Background:
- Hypertension often leads to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and diastolic dysfunction.
- Early detection and treatment of these cardiac changes are crucial for patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of verapamil on LVH and diastolic function in patients with mild to moderate hypertension.
- To evaluate changes in echocardiographic and Doppler parameters after 3 months of verapamil therapy.
Main Methods:
- 13 patients with hypertension received verapamil for 3 months.
- M-mode echocardiography measured interventricular septal thickness (IVST), posterior wall thickness (PWT), and left ventricular mass index (LVMI).
- Pulsed Doppler assessed transmitral flow indices, including early (E) and atrial (A) velocity, E/A ratio, and pressure half-time (PHT).
Main Results:
- Verapamil therapy significantly improved left ventricular hypertrophy.
- Left ventricular diastolic function showed improvement based on Doppler indices.
- Blood pressure was normalized without adverse effects on heart rate, systolic function, or body weight.
Conclusions:
- Three months of verapamil treatment effectively reduces left ventricular hypertrophy and enhances diastolic function in hypertensive patients.
- Verapamil offers a safe therapeutic option for managing hypertension-related cardiac remodeling.
Abstract:
We evaluated the effect of verapamil therapy on left ventricular hypertrophy and left ventricular diastolic function in 13 patients with mild to moderate hypertension. Left ventricular hypertrophy was determined by M-mode echocardiographic measurements of interventricular septal thickness (IVST), posterior wall thickness (PWT) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) both before (T0) and after 3 months (T3) of verapamil therapy. Left ventricular diastolic transmitral flow was measured by pulsed Doppler indices of early (E) and atrial (A) velocity, E/A ratio, total area (Ta), A area (Aa), Aa/Ta ratio, E-pressure half-time (E-PHT). A-pressure half-time (A-PHT) and E-PHT/A-PHT ratio both before and after 3 months of verapamil therapy. No significant changes occurred in mean heart rate, systolic function or body weight. We conclude that 3 months' therapy with verapamil resulted in an improvement in left ventricular hypertrophy and left ventricular diastolic function and a normalization of blood pressure, without a corresponding deterioration in left ventricular systolic function.