title: Cardiac structure and function before and after acute and chronic verapamil administration in hypertensive patients.
abstract: The aim of this study has been to analyze the acute and chronic effects of oral verapamil on diastolic function indices, derived from Doppler echocardiography, and left-ventricular (LV) dimensions and mass, assessed by M-mode echocardiography, in hypertensive patients without LV hypertrophy. 12 patients with essential hypertension were studied in basal conditions and (1) after a single oral administration of verapamil 160 mg and placebo in a double-blind protocol and (2) over chronic treatment (12 months) with verapamil 240 mg/day. At baseline, the ratio between early and atrial-induced transmitral velocities (E/A ratio) was lower in patients than in 12 age-matched normal subjects (1.08 +/- 0.2 vs. 1.51 +/- 0.3, p less than 0.01). Acute verapamil administration significantly decreased arterial blood pressure (162 +/- 26/101 +/- 8 to 142 +/- 12/88 +/- 7 mm Hg, p less than 0.01 after 2 h) and increased the E/A ratio to 1.26 +/- 0.3 (p less than 0.05) after 3 h. No change in ventricular dimensions and heart rate was observed. After chronic therapy, we found a further increase in the E/A ratio in 10 responder patients (1.49 +/- 0.3, p less than 0.01). The LV mass index, that was higher than in normal subjects before the treatment (118 +/- 16 vs. 91 +/- 11 g/m2, p less than 0.01), was significantly reduced (100 +/- 17 g/m2, p less than 0.05 vs. basal, nonsignificant vs. normal subjects). Our results demonstrate that acute administration of verapamil only partially improves the abnormal indices of diastolic function in hypertensive patients, whereas chronic treatment, by reducing LV mass indices and blood pressure to normal values, can completely normalize the indices of LV diastolic filling.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Clinica Medica Generale e Terapia Medica, Università di Milano, Italia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cuspidi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sampieri
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boselli
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bragato
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lonati
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bocciolone
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leonetti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zanchetti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014700:Verapamil / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014700:Verapamil