The left ventricular function of 23 patients with essential hypertension was investigated during infusion of isoproterenol (ISP). These patients consisted of 13 without cardiac hypertrophy (Group NH) and 10 with cardiac hypertrophy (Group HH). Ten normotensive subjects served as normal controls. To assess left ventricular functions, M-mode echocardiograms were recorded at rest and after ISP infusion for 5 minutes (0.005 and 0.01 microgram/kg/min). There were no significant differences in peak negative dD/dt in all groups at rest. But peak negative dD/dt of Group HH significantly decreased after an infusion of 0.005 microgram/kg/min ISP (Group N: 3.43 +/- 0.69, Group NH: 3.15 +/- 0.61, and Group HH: 2.49 +/- 0.48 cm/sec, respectively). The peak negative dD/dt of Group HH was also significantly decreased after a dose of 0.01 microgram/kg/min. Among all patients with hypertension, peak negative dD/dt correlated inversely with left ventricular mass (LVM) after the infusion of ISP (0.005 microgram/kg/min: r = -0.64, p less than 0.001, 0.01 microgram/kg/min: r = -0.68, p less than 0.001). The peak positive dD/dt of Group HH was significantly decreased only when compared with that of Group N at rest (Group N: 3.15 +/- 0.75, Group NH: 3.02 +/- 0.86, and Group HH: 1.92 +/- 0.68 cm/sec, respectively). The difference between the peak positive dD/dt of Group HH and that of Group N was more prominent after the infusion of ISP than at rest. Among all patients with hypertension, the peak positive dD/dt was inversely related to LVM at rest (r = -0.64, p less than 0.002). There was a similar relation between the two indexes after the infusion of ISP. Peak positive dD/dt was related to peak negative dD/dt after a dose of 0.01 microgram/kg/min in Group HH (r = 0.67, p less than 0.05). There was no significant difference in heart rate, change in blood pressure, or total peripheral vascular resistance after the infusion of ISP. It is concluded that diastolic left ventricular dysfunction and latent systolic left ventricular dysfunction are related to increased LVM in Group HH. It seems that after the infusion of ISP severe diastolic left ventricular dysfunction is related to latent systolic left ventricular dysfunction.
Adult Aged