LEFT-VENTRICULAR GEOMETRIC PATTERNS AND QT DISPERSION IN BORDERLINE AND MILD HYPERTENSION - THEIR EVOLUTION AND REGRESSION

To investigate whether QT dispersion increases in borderline and mild hypertension during a longitudinal observation of > 3 years and whethe r it is improved with medications, left ventricular geometric patterns and QT dispersion were studied with special regard to their longitudi nal changes in 85 male borderline and mild hypertensive subjects with left ventricular mass index < 125 g/m(2). These subjects were followed for > 3 years without medication. Thirty-two patients with a left ven tricular mass index > 125 g/m(2) at the end of follow-up period were f urther observed using antihypertensive drugs for an additional 3 years . Echocardiograms and electrocardiograms were obtained at the beginnin g and end of the follow-up period. At the end of the follow-up period, subjects were classified into four groups based on ventricular geomet ric patterns determined by left ventricular mass index and relative wa ll thickness in diastole. The QT dispersion was greater in patients wi th concentric hypertrophy (56 +/- 18 msec) than in patients with norma l geometry (41 +/- 17 msec) (P < .05) and increased significantly in t he former group during the follow-up period. After medication, the lef t ventricular mass index regressed and the QT dispersion decreased (fr om 55 +/- 21 to 50 +/- 26 msec, P < .01) in these patients. Thus, thes e findings suggest that changes in the QT dispersion reflect both conc entric evolution and regression of left ventricular hypertrophy. (C) 1 998 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.