[Pulse pressure and echocardiographic parameters in essential arterial hypertension]

We measured systolic, diastolic, mean (MAP) and pulsed (PP) arterial pressures (Dinamap 845 XT), carotid femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and cardiac parameters (echocardiography) to evaluate myocardiac mass and indexed cardiac mass to body surface area (IM) in 47 subjects (11 normotensives and 36 with sustained essential hypertension). Hypertensives were allocated between two groups with same age, weight and height, same mean arterial pressure (119.8 +/- 9.1 mmHg, 119.7 +/- 11.9 mmHg, NS) and PWV (11.90 +/- 2.20 m/s, 12.51 +/- 1.83 m/s, NS): group I (22 subjects) with pulsed pressure less than 60 mmHg, group II (14 subjects) with pulsed pressure greater than or equal to 60 mmHg. (Table: see text). Newman-Keuls between group I and group II: p less than 0.01 for cardiac mass and IM, p less than 0.001 for PP. Cardiac mass (p less than 0.01) and indexed mass to body surface area (p less than 0.01) were greater in group II (with pp greater than or equal to 60 mmHg) than in group I.

arterial hypertension is linked with left ventricular hypertrophy which is increased when pulsed pressure is enhanced. This fact could give evidence of importance of pulsatory work in cardiac consequence of hypertension.