The relation between cardiac hypertrophy and hypertension

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Abstract
Left ventricular mass determined echocardiographically was related to blood pressure in a stratified random sample (n = 120) of 49-year-old men selected from a blood pressure screening and covering a wide range of blood pressures. Only subjects not on antihypertensive treatment were studied. Left ventricular mass was also related to sympathetic activity, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and glucose metabolism. A poor correlation between left ventricular mass and blood pressure was found in the entire study group. In the upper blood pressure range only blood pressure during isometric exercise was significantly correlated with left ventricular mass. In this range there were significant correlations between left ventricular mass and 24 hour urinary noradrenaline excretion and plasma aldosterone. In the intermediate blood pressure range there was an association between left ventricular mass and blood glucose and plasma insulin. It is concluded that in mild to moderate hypertension other factors probably modify the hypertrophic response to rising arterial pressure.