Doppler echocardiography analysis of left ventricular filling in treated hypertensive patients

Early detection and prevention of cardiac dysfunction is an important goal in the management of hypertensive patients. In this study, Doppler echocardiography was used to evaluate the pattern of left ventricular diastolic filling in 38 subjects: 18 treated hypertensive patients (blood pressure 141 ± 17/83 ± 10 mm Hg, mean ± SD) without other coronary risk factors and 20 risk-free normotensive subjects of similar age (47 ± 10 and 49 ± 13 years, respectively). Peak velocity of late left ventricular filling due to the atrial contraction was greater in hypertensive compared with normotensive subjects (69 ± 14 versus 52 ± 13 cm/s; p < 0.001). Peak velocity of late filling was significantly greater in hypertensive versus normotensive subjects in those aged 50 years or younger and those older than age 50 (65 ± 12 versus 50 ± 11; p < 0.01 and 75 ± 15 versus 56 ± 15 cm/s; p < 0.05, respectively). In hypertensive subjects, peak velocity of late filling did not correlate with routine indexes of hypertensive heart disease (including posterior wall thickness and left ventricular mass), systolic and diastolic blood pressure or duration of hypertension. These results indicate that increased velocity of late left ventricular filling may be independent of left ventricular hypertrophy and persist despite effective blood pressure control.