Cardiac response to hypertension treatment: an advanced echocardiographic evaluation

Hypertension is the most common reversible cause of cardiovascular disease worldwide and more than one billion individuals suffer from the disease. Constant heart exposure to increased afterload progresses to maladaptive remodeling, leading to cardiac dysfunction. In this study, we aimed to evaluate cardiac function in response to hypertension treatment.

One hundred patients diagnosed with hypertension were evaluated two times, with 3 to 6 months intervals, before and after antihypertensive therapy. Patients underwent clinical and echocardiographic evaluation in both visits and the interest effect of antihypertensive therapy on cardiac function was studied.

58 men and 42 women with a mean age of 60.81 ± 11.8 years were studied. Mean systolic and diastolic pressure in the first visit was 163.05 ± 20.6 and 95.40 ± 10.4, respectively. On the second visit, mean systolic and diastolic pressure was 129.95 ± 10.4 and 82.35 ± 7.2 respectively (P value for both < 0.001). The mean value of Global Longitudinal Strain as the main parameter for evaluating left ventricular systolic function was -15.54% on the first visit and changed to -16.95% on the second visit (P value 0.025).

According to the results of this study, changes in parameters, indicator of systolic and diastolic function, after 3–6 months of antihypertensive therapy are significant. The most important point is that maladaptive remodeling of the heart is reversible if hypertension is diagnosed timely. To follow-up patients under antihypertensive therapy, GLS and parameters indicator of diastolic dysfunction, have the best diagnostic value in terms of detecting early stages of cardiac injury.