Aim: This study tested the hypothesis that abnormal QT dispersion, an indicator of arrhythmogenic risk, is associated with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene polymorphism and abnormalities of collagen metabolism.
Methods: A total of 132 patients with untreated essential hypertension (EHT) were recruited. QT dispersion corrected by heart rate (QTc) on a 12-lead electrocardiogram, ACE genotype, left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and E/A ratio using echocardiogram, plasma ACE activity and serum propeptide type I C-terminal procollagen (PICP) concentration, a marker of myocardial fibrosis, were determined.
To investigate whether circulating blood volume contributes to left ventricular (LV) geometry, 60 outpatients with untreated, mild to moderate essential hypertension and 45 normotensives were studied. Based on echocardiographic LV mass index and relative wall thickness, four patterns of LV geometry, i.e.
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