INCREASED LEFT-VENTRICULAR MASS IN SALT-SENSITIVE HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS

Clinical, biochemical and echocardiographic characteristics were evalu ated from 50 essential hypertensive patients classified asccording to their salt-sensitivity status. Salt-sensitive hypertension was diagnos ed by of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) in 22 (44%) patie nts showing a significant increase in mean BP (P<0.05) from a 7-day pe riod of low salt (20 mmol NaCl/day) intake, to a 7-day period of high salt (260 mmol NaCl/day) intake, The remaining 28 (56%) patients were considered as having salt-resistant hypertension. Compared with salt-r esistant patients, salt-sensitive ones showed an increased left ventri cular mass index (P=0.0118), septal (P=0.0021) and posterior wall thic kness (P=0.0026), without differences in the internal diastolic diamet er, Decreased values of HDL-cholesterol (P=0.0475) and increased total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio (P=0.0098) were also observed in th e salt-sensitive, compared with the salt-resistant hypertensive patien ts. Age, gender, body mass index, systolic and diastolic BP, fasting p lasma glucose, creatinine and uric acid did not differ between salt-se nsitive and salt-resistant patients. We conclude that, at the same lev el of BP, salt-sensitive patients exhibit an increased prevalence of l eft ventricular hypertrophy and a worse lipid profile. These two aspec ts may confer to salt-sensitive patients an increased risk in terms of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.