The Resting Cardiac Index in Different Left Ventricular Geometric Patterns in Essential Hypertensive Patients Not in Heart Failure State.

Abstract

This study was performed in Baghdad Teaching Hospital during the period from 21/10/2003 to 30/3/2004 on a study sample of 120 untreated non-obese essential hypertensive patients not in a heart failure state, 78 males and 42 females, their age mean ± SD is 53.62± 9.22 year. They were distributed after performing echocardiographic examination into 14 patients with normal LV geometric pattern (group 1) , 6 males and 8 females, their age mean±SD was 51.58±9.43 year, and 106 patients with abnormal LV geometric pattern (group 2) , 72 males and 34 females, their age mean±SD was 53.94±9.63 years. Patients with signs and symptoms of heart failure and those with cardiac or extracardiac diseases were excluded from the study. The aim of the study was to examine whether there are differences in cardiac index between those with normal and those with abnormal LV geometric patterns, and among the three categories of abnormal LV geometric patterns, namely, concentric remodeling, eccentric hypertrophy, and concentric hypertrophy. It has been concluded that there are no statistically significant differences in cardiac index between those with a normal and those with abnormal LV geometric patterns, and non-significant differences in cardiac index among the three categories of abnormal LV geometric patterns too, as far as all patients were not having any of the signs and symptoms of heart failure. Therefore, there is still a chance of initiating antihypertensive medication in view of controlling elevated blood pressure and keeping a normal Frank-Starling mechanism and a normal cardiac index before decompensation state and developing congestive heart failure.