SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL-CHANGES OF LEFT-VENTRICLE AND CAROTID ARTERIES IN YOUNG BORDERLINE HYPERTENSIVES AND IN ATHLETES

Objective To investigate the association between ventricular mass and the intima-media thickening of carotid arteries in hypertensive patien ts and the simultaneous involvement of the heart and the conductance v essels by the hypertensive process. Methods Because no data are availa ble concerning the ultrasonographic characteristics of large arteries in athletes with physiological increases in left ventricular mass, we measured the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the common carotid artery (CCA) in 14 normotensive subjects (group I, aged 22 +/- 4 years), in 14 borderline hypertensives (group II, aged 24 +/- 6 years) and in 14 Japanese wrestling players (group III, aged 23 +/- 4 years). The IMT o f the posterior wall of the CCA was measured at 5, 10 and 20 mm caudal ly to the bifurcation and the measurements were averaged. Left ventric ular diameters and thicknesses of the interventricular septum and post erior wall were obtained from two-dimensionally guided M-mode tracings and measured according to the Penn convention. Left ventricular mass was calculated by the formula of Devereux. Left ventricular filling wa s measured by a pulsed Doppler technique. Results Both systolic and di astolic blood pressure values were significantly higher in group II (1 45 +/- 7/91 +/- 5 mmHg) than they were in group I (116 +/- 11/75 +/- 1 5 mmHg) and in group III (120 +/- 8/78 +/- 6mm Hg). In athletes and hy pertensives both the left ventricular mass index and the IMT of the CC A were significantly greater than they were in control subjects (80 +/ - 12g/m(2) and 0.45 +/- 0.05mm in group I; 106 +/- 15g/m(2) and 0.57 /- 0.08mm in group II; and 122 +/- 17g/m(2) and 0.55 +/- 0.05mm in gro up III). The mitral early:late peak flow velocity ratio was significan tly lower in group II (1.9 +/- 0.58) than it was in the other two grou ps (2.3 +/- 0.66 in group I and 2.6 +/- 0.64 in group III). Conclusion s The results of our study suggest that both hypertension and physical training can induce parallel changes in cardiac and in arterial walls , and that physiological left ventricular hypertrophy in athletes is a ccompanied by a normal diastolic filling pattern in contrast to the pa thological pattern found in hypertensives. Further investigation is re quired to differences in carotid structure and these two conditions.