[Adaptive reserves of the myocardium in patients with ischemic heart disease]

Myocardial adaptive reserves and their relation to the function of the adrenocorticohypophyseal system were examined in 69 patients with coronary heart disease. To define the adaptation of the myocardium during exercise, the index of myocardial adaptation was used. The function of the adrenocorticohypophyseal system was judged from blood levels of somatotropic hormone and cortisol before, at the peak, and 2 hours after exercise testing. A substantial decrease in myocardial adaptive capacity was found in CHD patients as compared with healthy subjects. These abnormalities proved to be more marked in patients with clinical signs of severe coronary failure than in those with moderate coronary circulatory failure. It was concluded that the function of the adrenocorticohypophyseal system was one of the factors determining myocardial adaptation during exercise in patients with coronary heart disease.