Analysis Of Risk Factors Related To Left Ventricular Hypertrophy And Target-organ Damage In Patients With Essential Hypertension

Objective Hypertention is a most prevalent cardiovascular disease nowadays. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is the earliest sign of target-organ damage in patients with hypertension, and also is a major independent predictor of cardiac shock, myocardial infarction, stroke and other cerebral-cardiac complications and death events. As a result, the evaluation of whether hypertrophy is exist and the type and degree of hypertrophy will be very useful to evaluate the degree of target organ damage, thus predicting the prognosis of patients with hypertension. The development of LVH has close relationship with age, occupation, smoking, alcohol intake. Improvement of living behavior and drug treatment to control risk factors in these patients can predominantly reduce the incidence and fatality rate from cerebral-cardiac complications.Methods Echocardiography was performed on patients with clinically determined diagnosis of essential hypertension. Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and relative wall thickness (RWT) was calculated according to the parameters obtained from echocardiographic measurements, thus assessing whether hypertrophy existed in a certain patient and also the configuration of left ventricle. Patients were divided into hypertrophy group and non- hypertrophy group according to the result of ultrasound, and the hypertrophy group was further divided into sub-groups according to the type and degree of hypertrophy. History of coronary artery disease, stroke, renal function impairment and arteriosclerosis was also assessed to find their relationship with hypertrophy; prognostic value of hypertrophy was then evaluated. Other situations, such as gender, age, height, weight, history of smoking, alcohol intake, high salt diet, occupation, family history, course and grade of hypertension, situation of drug treatment, serum level of total cholesterol and triglyeride were also evaluated in these patients, in order to investigate the relationship of hypertrophy with the unhealthy living behavior and risk factors of hypertention.Results This study reveals that the major risk factors of left ventricular hypertrophy are unhealthy living behavior, such as smoking, alcohol intake, high salt diet, etc. Hypertrophy is also close related to body mass index, course and grade of hypertension and hyperlipoidemia. The concomitance target organ damage are coronary artery disease, stroke and renal function impairment.Conclusions 1. Echocardiography can be used to detect hypertrophy and it's degree, and also left ventricular configuration in patients with hypertension. At the same time assess systolic and diastolic function of the patient accurately. 2. Hypertrophy is correlated with blood pressure, and is more related with the co-existence cardiovascular risk factors and the number of these factors. 3. Hypertrophy is a major risk factor of cerebral-cardiac vascular events in patients with hypertension. The degree of hypertrophy and configuration of left ventricle can act as a prognostic index.