The influence of different antihypertensive drugs on left ventricular hypertrophy in a population sample of elderly men.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate if the effects of long-term treatment with different antihypertensive drugs on left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy seen in meta-analysis could also be found in a cross-sectional study of elderly men, we investigated 584 70-year-old men with echocardiography of which 179 were treated for hypertension.


RESULTS
Men on antihypertensive treatment showed a significantly higher LV mass than normotensive men (143 +/- 29 vs 132 +/- 28 g/m2, P < 0.01), but no significant difference in LV mass was seen between men on one antihypertensive drug (n = 129) and those on two drugs (n = 47). Among the men on monotherapy, no differences in LV mass between the subjects who were treated with calcium-antagonists (142 +/- 27 g/m2, n = 37), beta-blockers (140 +/- 29 g/m2, n = 66) or ACE-inhibitors (142 +/- 33 g/m2, n = 20) were found. Neither did blood pressure differ between these groups. Excluding subjects with coronary heart disease did not alter the results. Thiazides as monotherapy was uncommon in this population (n = 4) and therefore not evaluated.


CONCLUSIONS
In a population sample of elderly men with hypertension, no differences in LV mass or blood pressure could be seen between subjects treated with ACE-inhibitors, calcium-antagonists or beta-blockers as monotherapy. In meta-analysis of the effects of different antihypertensive therapies on regression of LV hypertrophy, ACE-inhibitors have shown the best results.
Andrén
B
B
Department of Clinical Physiology and Geriatrics, University Hospital, S-751 85 Uppsala, Sweden.
Lind
L
L
Lithell
H
H
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004452:Echocardiography; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers