Determinant of left ventricular mass in essential hypertensive postmenopausal women: Influence of hormonal therapy

Background: this study investigated the influence of hormone replacement th erapy on the variability of the cardiac hypertrophic response to hypertensi on in postmenopausal women. Methods: 25 menopausal essential hypertensive women (mean age 54+/-0.8 year s, range 45 to 70) treated with estrogen (without progestin) for at least 1 year were studied and compared with 25 menopausal age-matched women (55+/- 1 years old, range 46 to 70) not taking such therapy. No women had ever rec eived antihypertensive therapy. Left ventricular mass corrected by height(2 .7) and relative wall thickness were assessed by M mode echocardiography. R esults: age, blood pressure, body mass index, 24 h urinary sodium excretion and plasma renin activity were in the 2 groups with and without hormone re placement therapy. Left ventricular mass corrected by height(2.7) was signi ficantly higher in the group with without estrogen replacement therapy when compared to menopausal women with estrogen replacement (55+/-3 vs 45+/-4 g /m(2.7) p<0.02). In addition the slope of the regression line between LV ma ss and systolic BP was significantly higher (p<0.01) in the group of women without hormonal therapy r=0.50 p<0.001. Conclusion: these results suggest that estrogen therapy of menopause attenu ate the cardiac hypertrophic response to hypertension.