Cardiac performance during exercise in hypertensive patients without ventricular hypertrophy.
BACKGROUND
Reduced systolic reserve on effort may be present in subjects with hypertension but no evidence of hypertensive cardiomyopathy. We assessed the determinants of abnormal cardiac performance during exercise in hypertensive patients without left ventricular hypertrophy.


METHODS
Thirty-five newly diagnosed, never-treated-earlier hypertensive patients without definite indication for left ventricular hypertrophy at echocardiography underwent radionuclide ambulatory monitoring of left ventricular function at rest and during upright bicycle exercise testing.


RESULTS
The patients were classified into two groups according to their ejection fraction response to exercise. In 21 patients (group 1), the ejection fraction increased > or = 5% with exercise and in 14 patients (group 2), the ejection fraction either increased < 5% or decreased with exercise. Patients of group 1 had lower peak filling rate at rest and less augmentation in end-diastolic volume during exercise (both P < 0.01) when compared with patients of group 2. A significant relationship between the magnitude of change in ejection fraction with exercise and both peak filling rate at rest (r = 0.58, P < 0.01) and exercise-induced change in end-diastolic volume (r = 0.45, P < 0.01) was found.


CONCLUSIONS
In newly diagnosed, never-treated-earlier hypertensive subjects with no evidence of hypertensive cardiomyopathy, the cardiac response to exercise is dependent on adequate diastolic filling volume to maintain systolic performance.
Storto
G
G
Department of Biomorphological and Functional Sciences, University Federico II, Via Pansini 5, Naples, Italy.
Nicolai
E
E
Petretta
M
M
Spinelli
L
L
Acampa
W
W
Evangelista
L
L
Daniele
S
S
Trimarco
B
B
Cuocolo
A
A
D000792:Angiography; D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*