Left atrial dimension is related to blood pressure variability in newly diagnosed untreated hypertensive patients.

Variability in daily blood pressure (BPV) recorded 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is known to be related to left ventricular hypertrophy and an increased incidence of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether left atrium dimension, which increases early in hypertensive subjects, was related to BPV in a group of 167 drug-naive patients (100M/67F, age: 46±11yr). The patients were chosen among those consecutively sent by their general practitioners to confirm the existence of arterial hypertension and afterwards diagnosed as hypertensive (mean 24-h ABPM ⩾130/80 mm Hg).

Gender difference in the relation blood pressure-left ventricular mass and geometry in newly diagnosed arterial hypertension.

Much evidence suggests sexual dimorphism in the relationship linking blood pressure (BP) to both left ventricular mass (LVM) and geometry in hypertension. To better evaluate gender-associated characteristics in the relation BP-LVM among newly diagnosed hypertension (24-h average ambulatory BP monitoring, ABPM, > 125/80 mmHg), we measured indexed LVM and relative wall thickness (RWT) by standardized echographic methods in 209 Caucasian drug-naïve subjects, of whom 162 (100M/62F) were recognized to be hypertensive. Mean office systolic (SBP)/diastolic (DBP), 24-h average and night-time BP values were similar between sexes and significantly related to indexed LVM in both genders.

Efficacy and Safety of Ramipril in Hypertensive Single-Kidney Patients.

The effects of medium-term antihypertensive treatment with the ACE inhibitor ramipril were studied on 10 hypertensive single-kidney patients in a double-blind study versus placebo. Patients with renovascular hypertension were excluded. Compared to placebo, ramipril induces a significant reduction of arterial blood pressure (p < 0.