title: Hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage.
abstract: One hundred eighteen consecutive cases of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage seen at one hospital during a 3-year period were examined to assess the prevalence of hypertension and the correlation between the presence of hypertension and the risk of early death. Eighty-seven of the patients had intracerebral aneurysms. The diagnosis of hypertension was determined by means of three complementary criteria: a history of treatment with antihypertensive drugs; systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure levels > or = 160 and 95 mm Hg, respectively, measured by the general practitioners of the patients before the onset of the subarachnoid hemorrhage; and the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy determined by echocardiography and/or necropsy. The major findings were as follows: 1) hypertension was present in at least 41% of the patients; 2) in 37% of 51 patients with no history of hypertension before the hemorrhage, left ventricular hypertrophy was diagnosed; and 3) the frequency of hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy was significantly higher in patients who died within 14 days after the bleeding episode compared with patients surviving this period.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D015996:Survival Rate