Hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy is linked to an enhanced catecholamine response to submaximal exercise

Background The serial plasma catecholamine response to exercise has not bee n studied fully in relation to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in patien ts with hypertension (HT). This study determined whether plasma catecholami ne responses to exercise are altered in essential HT in the presence or abs ence of LVH. Materials and methods Plasma noradrenaline (NA) and plasma adrenaline(A)wer e measured at rest, during and after treadmill exercise in 59 hypertensive subjects and 22 age-matched control subjects. Patients were divided into LV H(-) (n = 20) and LVH(+) (n = 39) stratified by left ventricular mass index [LVMI: control subjects, LVH(-), LVH(+): 114 +/- 4:, 105 +/- 3; 151 +/- 3 gm(-2)]. Results Exercise time (9.9 +/- 0.6, 7.6 +/- 0.7, 7.3 +/- 0.6 min) was short er in patients with HT. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures were hi gher in patients with HT, and no difference was observed between LVH(-) and LVH(+) patients. Resting plasma NA was not different (157 +/- 16, 173 +/- 17, 167 +/-: 14 pg mL(-1)), but plasma NA at stage I (300 +/- 30, 342 +/- 4 0, 469 +/- 40 pg mL(-1)) was higher in LVH(+) patients than in LVH(-) patie nts or control subjects. Plasma A response to exercise was similar among th e three groups. There was a positive correlation (r = 038, P < 0.001) betwe en LVMI and plasma NA at stage I in all subjects. Conclusions Patients with essential HT with LVH had augmented plasma NA res ponse during submaximal exercise, whereas patients without LVH did nor exhi bit this augmentation. The positive correlation between LVMI and Delta plas ma NA suggested a possible association between the degree of cardiac hypert rophy and sympathetic activation during exercise.