title: Cilnidipine improves left-ventricular midwall function independently of blood pressure changes in Chinese patients with hypertension.
abstract: Despite normal indices of left-ventricular (LV) chamber function, patients with hypertension are thought to have depressed LV midwall systolic shortening. This study was designed to investigate effects of short-term therapy with cilnidipine on LV midwall fractional shortening (mFS) in Chinese patients with hypertension. Thirty-seven patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension underwent a 2 week placebo run-in period, then received 5-10 mg/day of cilnidipine orally for 8 weeks. At the end of the placebo period and treatment, patients were examined by echocardiogram, measuring and calculating LV ejection fraction (EF), LV endocardial fraction shortening (eFS), and LV mFS. Compared with the normotensive group, the hypertensive group had a significantly higher eFS (P < 0.05) and EF (P < 0.01), both at the end of the placebo period and at 8 weeks; mFS of patients with hypertension was lower at the end of the placebo period (P < 0.05), but at the end of 8 weeks mFS was not different than that of the control group (P = 0.963). After cilnidipine treatment, EF and eFS did not change (P > 0.05); however, absolute mFS and corrected mFS were increased significantly (P < 0.01). Moreover, changes of mFS showed no correlation with changes of blood pressure (P > 0.05). Midwall fractional shortening is more reliable and sensitive than conventional systolic function measures in assessment of systolic function; cilnidipine can improve left-ventricular systolic function (mFS) independently of blood pressure changes in Chinese patients who have hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education and Chinese Ministry of Public Health, Department of Cardiology, QiLu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Yong
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xue-Zhen
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Hong-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002681:China; D004095:Dihydropyridines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D004095:Dihydropyridines; C065927:cilnidipine