Left ventricular mass and systolic performance in chronic systemic hypertension

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Hypertension Research
• Echocardiography

Background:

• Chronic systemic hypertension frequently leads to left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy.
• The relationship between the degree of LV hypertrophy and systolic function requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define the relationship between the extent of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and ventricular systolic performance in patients with chronic systemic hypertension.

Main Methods:

• Ninety hypertensive patients were compared to 41 normal subjects.
• LV mass was assessed using M-mode echocardiography.
• Systolic performance was evaluated using pre-ejection period to LV ejection time ratio (PEP/LVET), percent shortening (% delta D), and velocity of circumferential shortening (Vcf).

Main Results:

• LV dysfunction increased with LV mass, with abnormalities noted in 33% (PEP/LVET), 15% (% delta D), and 0% (Vcf) in mild hypertrophy (Group I).
• In moderate to severe hypertrophy (Groups II and III), abnormalities rose to 55-85% (PEP/LVET), 35-72% (% delta D), and 15-55% (Vcf).
• Hypertrophy was appropriate to wall tension in mild to moderate cases (Groups I and II).

Conclusions:

• LV dysfunction in patients with moderate LV hypertrophy reflects intrinsic contractile deficiencies of the hypertrophied myocardium.
• The findings highlight the impact of increasing LV mass on myocardial function in hypertensive patients.