Disproportionate intraventricular septal hypertrophy in Nigerians with essential hypertension.
It is not clear how frequently hypertrophic cardiomyopathy coexists with essential hypertension or whether chronic hypertension per se, induces hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (hypertensive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). Eighty-three Nigerians with essential hypertension alone underwent M-mode and 2 dimensional echocardiographic study. Twenty per cent (17 patients) had disproportionate intraventricular septal hypertrophy (septum: posterior wall ratio > or = 1.4). These subgroup tended to be elderly, with average age of 57.7 years, and were predominantly male (70%). Two patients in this subgroup (2.4% of total) additionally had thickened posterior left ventricles and a hyperdynamic left ventricular systolic function (fractional fibre shortening of > or = 45%). This picture is consistent with "hypertensive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy". Routine echocardiography may permit the early identification and thus a closer scrutiny and follow up of essential hypertensive patients with disproportionate septal thickness. The prognostic implications of this requires long term study.
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002312:Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D011379:Prognosis; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014463:Ultrasonography