ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION: LEFT VENTRICULAR GEOMETRY AND DIASTOLIC DYSFUNCTION

Echocardiography is an established method for assessing left ventricular structure and function in patients with arterial hypertension (AH). Purpose. The study aims to investigate left ventricular geometry and diastolic dysfunction in patients with arterial hypertension and to assess gender-related differences in the established data. Material/methods. A total of 278 individuals were studied, including 30 healthy controls (16 women and 14 men) and 248 patients with arterial hypertension (139 women and 109 men). The echocardiographic examination included M-Mode and B-Mode echocardiography, pulsed-wave spectral Doppler, and pulsed-wave tissue Doppler imaging. Results. Using the criteria of left ventricular mass index (LVMI) > 115 g/m2 in men and LVMI > 95 g/m2 in women for defining left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), we found LVH in 147 of the hypertensive patients (59.27%). In our patients, LVH was more common in women. LVH was found in 97 women (69.78% of the women with AH) and 50 men (45.87% of the men with AH). One hundred and six (106) patients (42.74%) had no diastolic dysfunction. Grade 1 diastolic dysfunction was found in 95 patients (38.31%), grade 2 in 43 patients (17.34%), and grade 3 in 4 patients (1.61%). Conclusion. In the studied patients with arterial hypertension, a number of echocardiographic indices were found which differed significantly from those in the individuals from the control group. Regular echocardiographic assessment is essential for guiding therapy and reducing the risk in these patients.