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Echocardiography, hypertension, and left ventricular mass
1Division of Cardiology, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, NY 10021.
Summary
Echocardiography detects left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in over 20% of hypertension patients. This finding, linked to home blood pressure readings, helps identify high-risk individuals for early drug treatment.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Hypertension Research
- Diagnostic Imaging
Background:
- Systemic hypertension affects a significant portion of the population.
- Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a common cardiac adaptation to hypertension.
- Traditional electrocardiography has limitations in detecting LVH.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the prevalence of LVH in patients with systemic hypertension using echocardiography.
- To explore the relationship between LVH, blood pressure measurements, and cardiac function.
- To assess the prognostic value of echocardiographically detected LVH in hypertensive patients.
Main Methods:
- Utilized echocardiography for sensitive detection of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).
- Compared LVH prevalence based on population characteristics (sex, race, age).
- Correlated LVH with blood pressure measured in natural settings versus clinical settings.
Main Results:
- Echocardiography revealed LVH in 20% or more of hypertensive patients.
- LVH prevalence varied with population demographics.
- Blood pressure in natural settings showed a stronger correlation with LVH than physician-measured pressure.
- Some hypertensive patients showed high cardiac output without LVH, while others had concentric LVH with high ejection fractions.
Conclusions:
- Echocardiography is a sensitive tool for diagnosing LVH in hypertensive patients.
- Echocardiographically detected LVH identifies patients at significant risk, even with mild hypertension.
- This diagnostic approach can guide the selection of hypertensive patients for pharmacologic therapy.