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The aim of the study was to analyse the heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with moderate essential hypertension complicated by left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Forty-two patients with untreated essential hypertension participated in the study group and 45 normotensives (16M, 29F, age 49.8 +/- 5.6 years) served as the controls. The hypertensives were divided into those with LVH (n = 25, 10M, 15F, age 50.1 +/- 5.9 years) and those without LVH (n = 17, 4M, 13F, age 52.0 +/- 3.4 years). HRV was recorded and analysed using the CardioPSA System, Medatec. In each subject, 30 min. of ECG recording was obtained: 15 min. in the supine, position and 15 min. in the upright position. Fast Fourier transform was used to analyse total power, low frequency (LF, 0.04-0.15 Hz) and high frequency components (HF, 0.15-0.40 Hz). Left ventricular mass was calculated from echocardiograms using the Deveraux formula. LVH was defined as a left ventricular mass index (LVM) > 134 g/m2 for men and > 110 g/m2 for women. A T-test was used to test for nter-group differences: p < 0.05 was considered as significant. In hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy, we observed decreased values of HF component, both in supine and upright positions, as compared to hypertensives without LVH. Components of HRV did not differ between the hypertensives without LVH and the normotensives. In hypertensives with a LVH the high frequency component of HRV was decreased, indicating impaired para-sympathetic activity.

Unlabelled: The aim of the study was the assessment of power spectrum of heart rate variability in young people with family history of hypertension. The study included healthy subjects in their second or third decade of their life. According to the family history of hypertension, the following groups were specified: group A--both parents hypertensive (n = 30, age = 24.5 +/- 4.0 years), group B--only one parent hypertensive (n = 94, age = 24.1 +/- 5.1 years) and group C--both parents normotensive (n = 35, age = 25.9 +/- 7.4 years)., Methods: HRV analysis was performed using CardioPSA System, Medatec, Belgium. In every person, 30 minute ECG was assessed: 15 min.lying, 15 min standing. For data analysis Fast Fourier transform was used, total variability, LF (0.04-0.15 Hz) and HF (0.15-0.40, Hz) components were calculated. We observed similar values of HRV components in all groups. Subjects with family history of hypertension showed however a tendency towards higher LF values in lying position. Standing caused in all groups decrease of total variability, increase of LF component and decrease of HF component. Changes were less pronounced in subjects with both parents hypertensive. Young adults with both parents hypertensive have shown a tendency towards higher values of LF component and less pronounced changes of HRV components after standing up.

To study a relationship between ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and left ventricular geometry in mild to moderate arterial hypertension, 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) at half-hourly intervals in the daytime and hourly at night (Spacelabs 90207) and echocardiographic examinations were performed in 60 hypertensives aged 42 +/- 7.9 years and in eight normotensives. The patients were subdivided into four groups according to the relative wall thickness (RWT) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI). Concentric remodelling was identified on the basis of increased RWT, eccentric hypertrophy in case of increased left ventricular mass, and concentric hypertrophy when both parameters were increased. Group I consisted of 15 patients with normal left ventricle; group II, 19 patients with concentric remodelling; group III, 7 patients with eccentric hypertrophy; and group IV, 19 patients with concentric hypertrophy. Analysis of correlations of maximal and mean systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) values and BP variability with left ventricular mass and relative wall thickness revealed the strongest correlation in group IV between concentric hypertrophy and peak SBP in the entire 24 h and in the daytime, mean SBP in the daytime and SBP variability in the entire 24 h. No significant correlations were found in groups I, II, III or controls. In conclusion, SBP variability assessed non-invasively with ABPM correlates positively with left ventricular mass. BP variability seems insignificant for left ventricular geometry.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate a relationship between HDL, triglyceride levels and insulinaemia in primary arterial hypertension. The study population consisted of 60 men aged 32-68 years (mean age 50.87 years, s.d. 8.4) with hypertension duration of 11.1 years (s.d. 6.4 years) who were compared with 60 normotensives matched for sex, age and BMI. We examined blood pressure, plasma lipoprotein content, sum of glucose and sum of insulinaemia (sum ins) during OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test). OGTT revealed insulin secretion almost twice as high in hypertensives (P < 0.001 sum ins 11002 microU min/ml, s.d. 4846) than in normotensives (sum ins 6662 microU min/ml, s.d. 3099). Comparison of concentration of selected VLDL components shows that hypertensives were characterised by markedly higher concentration of triglycerides (1.46 mmol/L, s.d. 0.87 in hypertensives and 1.04 mmol/L, s.d. 0.54 in normotensives), free and esterified cholesterol and protein, including apolipoprotein B than normotensives. It was also found that hypertensives had higher levels of apo CIII0 and lower levels of CIII1 VLDL than normotensives. Hypertensive patients showed also a higher frequency of apo E2 isoforms (three-fold) and apo E4 isoforms (two-fold) than healthy subjects. No changes were detected in the composition of LDL and HDL between the groups. Analysing the discriminating ability of biochemical parameters chosen in a step-wise manner it was found that sum ins and HDL, protein and cholesterol concentrations were the factors most powerfully differentiating men with hypertension from healthy subjects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of neuroses in an examined group of patients and to determine specific personality profiles in the group of men and women with primary arterial hypertension with or without coexisting neurosis. Data were collected from a group of 93 out-patients with primary arterial hypertension of the I and II degree according to WHO (51 men, mean age 47.9 years and 42 women, mean age 44.4 years). All subjects had secondary or university education. Neurotic disturbances were determined by the symptom check-list (version "S") and estimation of the personality structure was performed by the Cattell 16 Personality Factors test. The prevalence of neurotic syndromes was 33% in men and 45% in women. We have found a higher frequency of neuroses than in the population, in both men and women with primary arterial hypertension, who have had secondary education. Factor F- (desurgency) was dominant in the male group (p < 0.01) and factors: A+, I+, O+, Q4+, B-, C-, E-, F-, N-, Q1- were predominant in the female group. The subjects with primary arterial hypertension, but without neurosis were characterised by the following personality factors: men by A+, B+, F- Q2- and women by A+ and I+. Moreover affectothymia (A+) was more frequent in men than in women. The personality structure of men with primary arterial hypertension and concomitant neurosis was characterised by the following 16 PF test factors: C- (low ego strength) and O+ (to be apprehensive/guilt-proneness). Neurotic personality structure in women was described by the following 16 PF test factors: B- (less intelligent), C- (low ego strength), E- (submissiveness), F- (desurgency, sober), N- (artlessness, simple-minded), O+ (apprehensive/guilt-proneness) and Q4+ (high ergic tension). It is important, that the 16 PF test profile was different, both in hypertensive men and women and both with or without the presence of neurotic syndromes. This fact and the prevalence of neurosis among hypertensives should be taken into consideration in the psychologic approach and contemporary treatment of primary arterial hypertension.