[Study of the quality of life in patients with isolated systolic hypertension].

The aim of our study was to evaluate quality of life (QL) of elderly and old people diseased with isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) according to their sex and age subgroups. 57 patients were involved in the research (19 men, among them: 11--elderly and 8--old, average age was 69,4+/-5,1; 38 women, 24--elderly, 14--old, average age--67,4+/-5,2). The cognitive indicator was evaluated by the form MMS (MINI-MENTAL STATE). QL was evaluated according to the inquirer "Evaluation of Quality of Life Among Psychosomatic Patients" worked out by Sidorov, Soloviev and Novikov. It was shown that the QL was especially low in old people, in men it was higher than in women. Investigations conducted for the evaluation of the QL of people diseased with ISH enabled us to conclude that somatic, psychological, social conditions of the elderly and old people diseased with ISH are extremely low.

Combined Doppler and M-mode analysis of diastolic filling behaviour in arterial hypertension with and without left ventricular hypertrophy.

The authors analysed Doppler and M-mode derived diastolic parameters of left ventricular filling in patients with arterial hypertension with and without left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and with hypertrophic nonobstructive cardiomyopathy (HNCM). In hypertrophied hearts they demonstrated that the transmitral flow during rapid filling phase was significantly reduced. The lower early diastolic flow is compensated by an augmentation of atrial systole. Diastolic filling anomalies are the consequence of an impaired ventricular relaxation due to LVH as could been proved by the M-mode derived retraction constant Te. Diastolic filling anomalies significantly depend on the extent of left ventricular hypertrophy. Impaired diastolic function was found in hypertensive patients without LVH. In this case, diastolic disorders indicate an early involvement of the heart in the hypertensive process.