[Determinant of left ventricular hypertrophy in the hypertensive woman. Influence of hormone replacement therapy for menopause].
BACKGROUND
This study investigated the influence of hormone replacement therapy on the variability of the cardiac hypertrophic response to hypertension in postmenopausal women.


METHODS
25 menopausal essential hypertensive women (mean age 54 +/- 0.8 years, range 45 to 70) treated with estrogen (without progestin) for at least 1 year were studied and compared with 25 menopausal age-matched women (55 +/- 1 years old, range 46 to 70) not taking such therapy. No women had ever received antihypertensive therapy. Left ventricular mass corrected by height2.7 and relative wall thickness were assessed by M mode echocardiography.


RESULTS
Age, blood pressure, body mass index, 24 h urinary sodium excretion and plasma renin activity were in the 2 groups with and without hormone replacement therapy. Left ventricular mass corrected by height2.7 was significantly higher in the group with without estrogen replacement therapy when compared to menopausal women with estrogen replacement (55 +/- 3 vs 45 +/- 4 g/m2.7 p < 0.02). In addition the slope of the regression line between LV mass and systolic BP was significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the group of women without hormonal therapy r = 0.50 p < 0.001.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that estrogen therapy of menopause attenuate the cardiac hypertrophic response to hypertension.
du Cailar
G
G
Service de médecine interne et hypertension artérielle, hôpital Lapeyronie, Montpellier.
Ribstein
J
J
Pasquié
J L
JL
Mimran
A
A
D000368:Aged; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016014:Linear Models; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged