Reversal of cardiac hypertrophy and left ventricular function with the calcium antagonist felodipine in hypertensive patients.

A study was carried out to evaluate the influence of antihypertensive treatment with a calcium antagonist on left ventricular hypertrophy and to estimate left ventricular performance after reversal of myocardial hypertrophy. Ten essential hypertensives (age 45 +/- 2 years; WHO class II) underwent an M-mode echocardiogram guided by two-dimensional echocardiography, during a wash-out period and after 3, 6 and 12 months of treatment with felodipine ER 10 mg/daily. At month 12 the echocardiogram was also performed during a handgrip test.

[Usefulness of captopril test in diagnosis of renal artery stenosis and congenital small kidney in arterial hypertension].

We studied 45 hypertensive subjects to evaluate the usefulness of captopril test for identifying renal artery stenosis and small congenital kidney with the hypoplasia of the renal artery. In 18 hypertensives with hippuran renogram indicating renovascular disease, and in 27 essential hypertensives, the plasma renin activity (PRA) responses to an oral test dose (50 mg) of captopril were studied. A 60-minute post captopril PRA increase of 150% (or 400% if baseline PRA less than 3 ng/ml/h) was considered as positive.

[Microalbuminuria, an early marker of renal changes in essential hypertension].

The purpose of this study was to verify if microalbuminuria (AER) could be an early feature of renal hemodynamic changes in essential hypertension. Fifty-three patients with newly diagnosed essential hypertension (EH) underwent 24-hour blood pressure monitoring (24h-BP). Furthermore, AER and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were evaluated by obtaining 24-hour urine collection: day- and night-time urine was kept separate.

Treatment of malignant hypertension with an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor.

Malignant hypertension developed in an 18-year-old man whose primary hypertension had been diagnosed by chance. Standing blood pressure was 290/170 mmHg. Tests of renal function revealed high blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels and low levels of both effective renal plasma flow and the glomerular filtration rate.