Influence of left ventricular hypertrophy on ventricular arrhythmias in hypertensive patients / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES:Left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH) increases the risk of sudden death in hypertensive patients and this is known due to ventricular arrhythmias. Thus, author studied the relationship between LVH as a hypertensive target organ damage and ventricular arrhythmias. METHODS: 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring, measurement of microalbumin in 24-hour urine and fundoscopic examination were performed on 100 hypertensives (50 patients without LVH and 50 patients with LVH on EKG) who admitted Pusan National University Hospital. RESULTS: In patients with LVH, ventricular extrasystoles occurred more frequently than without LVH(p<0.05) and ventricular couplet and ventricular tachycardia were more common but statistically not different. Microalbuminuria and hypertensive retinopathy were more severe in patients with LVH than without LVH(p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: Of the ventricular arrhythmias, ventricular extrasystole but not ventricular couplet and ventricular tachycardia occurred more frequently in patients with LVH than without LVH. Thus, prospective study with long-term follow up should be done to establish the relationship between hypertensive LVH and cardiovascular mortality, especially sudden death. And, further study should be done to make the relationship between reduction in LVH with antihypertensive therapy and reduction in LVH-associated ventricular arrhythmias.