title: Left ventricular mass index negatively correlates with heart rate variability in essential hypertension.
abstract: To investigate the relationship between alterations of the autonomic nervous activity and left ventricular mass index in essential hypertensive patients, 24-h power spectral analysis of R-R intervals was performed using Holter electrocardiography. Fifty-three patients (mean age, 58.0 +/- 13.1 years; 30 men and 23 women) participated. The urinary excretions and plasma levels of catecholamines were also determined. Power spectral analysis of R-R interval was performed every 10 min by the maximum entropy method to obtain the low frequency band (LFB; 0.04 to 0.15 Hz), which is an index of both parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous activities, and the high frequency band (HFB; 0.15 to 0.4 Hz), which reflects parasympathetic nervous activity. LFB and HFB were averaged every hour to obtain hourly LFB and HFB levels. Total LFB and HFB were calculated as the summation of 24-h LFBs and HFBs. Left ventricular mass index showed a significant negative correlation with total LFB (r = -0.466, P < .001) and total HFB (r = -0.319, P < .02). These findings suggest that the level of end-organ damage correlates with neuronal alteration in essential hypertension.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Ehime University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kohara
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hara-Nakamura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hiwada
mesh_terms: D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000652:urine; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines