LEFT-VENTRICULAR MASS AND CARDIOVASCULAR REACTIVITY IN YOUNG MEN

The relation between left ventricular wall thickness and mass, arteria l plasma catecholamines, and blood pressure at rest and during a menta l arithmetic challenge and a cold presser test was examined in 69 heal thy men 19 years of age. The subjects were recruited from the 1st (n=2 1), 50th (n=26), and 99th (n=22) percentiles in mean blood pressure. A ll underwent echocardiography to determine mean wall thickness and lef t ventricular mass. Continuous intra-arterial brood pressure, electroc ardiogram, and arterial sampling of plasma catecholamines were perform ed after 30 minutes of supine rest, during a 5-minute mental arithmeti c challenge, and during a 1-minute cold presser test. Stepwise multipl e-regression analyses considering mean wall thickness and left ventric ular mass as the dependent variables were applied. Intra-arterial syst olic blood pressure (r=.54, P<.0001) and arterial plasma epinephrine ( r=.31, P=.009) after 30 minutes of supine rest were the only independe nt explanatory variables of mean wall thickness (multiple R(2)=.33, P< .0001). Blood pressure at screening and during mental stress and cold presser tests were not independent explanatory variables. The present study suggests that resting arterial blood pressure and plasma epineph rine may be of importance for development of left ventricular hypertro phy.