Organ damage in treated middle-aged hypertensives compared to normotensives:: results from a cross-sectional study in general practice

Background: High blood pressure contributes to organ damage. However, during the past two decades there have been great advances in the medical treatment of hypertension. Technical progress has also made it easier to visualize organ damage. Hence we found it of interest to examine heart, brain and retina in a group of middle-aged treated hypertensives, comparing the results with those from a group of middle-aged normotensives. Methods: The subjects were 40 (20 men) treated hypertensives and 40 (20 men) normotensives, who had previously taken part in a study in which ambulatory blood pressure monitoring had been performed. The heart was examined by echocardiography the retina by photography and the brain by magnetic resonance imaging. Results: Office blood pressure and 24-h systolic/diastolic blood pressure (S/D) were 141/86 (13/7) mmHg and 128/81 (11/6)mmHg in the hypertensives and 125/78 (10/8) mmHg and 118/74 (8/5) mmHg in the normotensives, respectively. Left ventricular mass was 101 (27) g/m(2) in the hypertensives and 85 (18) g/m(2) in the normotensives (p = 0.0025). The corresponding figures for the left atrium were 21.1 (3.1) mm/m(2) in the hypertensives and 19.5 (2.3) mm/m(2) in the normotensives (p < 0.001). E/A wave quotient was 1.09 (0.26) in the hypertensives and 1.26 (0.26) in the normotensives (p = 0.0045), while left ventricular systolic function did not differ between the groups. Ten hypertensives and one normotensive subject had left ventricular mass above normal range. Narrow retinal arteries were found in 22 hypertensives and 8 normotensives (p < 0,001). Brain magnetic resonance changes (deep white matter and/or periventricular) were: found in 19 hypertensives and 9 normotensives (p = 0.0431). Conclusions: The hypertensives differed significantly from the normotensives concerning left ventricular mass, left atrium, left ventricular diastolic function and retinal vessel changes. Deep white matter and periventricular changes in the brain were also significantly different in the two groups. We can only speculate as to whether earlier antihypertensive treatment or further blood pressure reduction could have affected these differences.