title: Long-term effect of antihypertensive therapy on left ventricular hypertrophy.
abstract: We studied a total of 88 previously untreated hypertensives in order to determine the long-term effect of antihypertensive therapy on echocardiographically confirmed left ventricular hypertrophy. The drugs tested were the beta-blocker metoprolol (200 mg/day; 26 patients; mean age 43.9 years; follow-up 32 months), the calcium antagonist gallopamil (100-150 mg/day; 26 patients; mean age 49.7 years; follow-up 23 months) and a combination of 50 mg atenolol and 20 mg nifedipine (36 patients; mean age 44.2 years; follow-up 18 months). Despite similar reductions in resting blood pressure, each of the three therapeutical regimens had a different effect on the left ventricular mass index after 1 year of treatment: gallopamil reduced the index by 13.2% (170 +/- 49 to 148 +/- 41 g/m2, P less than 0.001), metoprolol by 21.9% (150 +/- 27 to 117 +/- 27 g/m2, P less than 0.001) and atenolol + nifedipine by 30.8% (148 +/- 33 to 103 +/- 21 g/m2, P less than 0.001). Similar results were obtained for interventricular septal (9.9, 15.4 and 20.7%, respectively) and posterior wall thicknesses (10.4, 16.7 and 24.1%, respectively). During the follow-up there was a further significant reduction in ventricular hypertrophy under all three treatments, but no significant changes in ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic dimensions or in fractional shortening.
authors.affiliation: Klinik Wehrawald der BfA, Todtmoos, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: I W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Franz
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tönnesmann
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Behr
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ketelhut
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001262:Atenolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005711:Gallopamil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008790:Metoprolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005082:Physical Exertion
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D005711:Gallopamil; D001262:Atenolol; D008790:Metoprolol; D009543:Nifedipine