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Hypertensive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy of the elderly
Insights
This study identifies a unique cardiac syndrome in elderly hypertensive patients, characterized by severe hypertrophy and supernormal systolic function. Specific medications like beta-blockers and calcium-channel blockers provided symptomatic relief.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Internal Medicine
- Echocardiography
Background:
- Identified a unique syndrome in 21 hypertensive patients.
- Syndrome characterized by severe concentric cardiac hypertrophy, small left ventricular cavity, and supernormal systolic function.
- Patients presented with dyspnea or chest pain, with a history of hypertension.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize a unique subset of hypertensive patients with specific cardiac findings.
- To investigate the clinical presentation and cardiac function in this patient group.
- To evaluate the efficacy of different medications for symptomatic relief.
Main Methods:
- Utilized echocardiography to assess cardiac structure and function.
- Compared 21 hypertensive patients with age- and sex-matched normotensive controls.
- Analyzed systolic and diastolic function parameters, including ejection fraction and diastolic filling patterns.
Main Results:
- Hypertensive patients exhibited significantly higher ejection fractions (79% vs. 59%) and abnormal diastolic function.
- Abnormal diastolic function included prolonged early diastolic filling and reduced peak diastolic dimension increase.
- Beta-receptor antagonists or calcium-channel blockers provided symptomatic relief in all treated patients.
Conclusions:
- This unique subset of hypertensive patients presents a distinct clinical syndrome.
- The syndrome warrants specific recognition and tailored management strategies.
- Careful medication selection is crucial, as vasodilators caused severe hypotensive reactions.
Abstract:
Using echocardiography, we identified 21 patients with a syndrome that included severe concentric cardiac hypertrophy, a small left ventricular cavity, and supernormal indexes of systolic function without concurrent medical illness or ischemic heart disease. Thirteen of the patients presented with dyspnea or chest pain. All patients studied had a history of hypertension and were compared with normotensive controls matched for age and sex. The patients were elderly (mean age, 73.3 years), predominantly female (16 patients), and mostly black (15 patients). Their cardiac function was characterized by excessive left ventricular emptying (ejection fraction on two-dimensional echocardiography [patients vs. controls], 79 +/- 4 vs. 59 +/- 5 per cent, P less than 0.001) and abnormal diastolic function as manifested by a prolonged early diastolic filling period (279 +/- 25 vs. 160 +/- 45 msec, P less than 0.001) and reduced peak diastolic dimension increase (11 +/- 4 vs. 16 +/- 5 cm per second, P less than 0.05). In spite of the clinical presentation of heart failure, all of 9 patients receiving either beta-receptor antagonists or calcium-channel blocking agents obtained symptomatic relief, whereas 6 of 12 patients receiving vasodilator medications had severe hypotensive reactions, including one death. We conclude that this unique subset of hypertensive patients has a clinical syndrome that warrants recognition and tailored management.
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