Hypertension in black Africans - A clinical and echographic study in 50 subjects

dObjectives: Clinical and electrocardiographic and echocardiographic data were collected in 50 black Africans with hypertension to study modifications in left ventricular geometry, Methods: Thirty men and 20 women with hypertension (mean age 40.9 +/- 10.2 years) who had recently immigrated from Africa were included in the study, Parameters recorded were: systolic and diastolic pressures, body mass index (BMI weight/height(2)); EGG; echocardiography (36 patients): end diastolic septal and posterior wall thickness, left ventricle diameter, left ventricle mass (LVM) and relative wall thickness, Results: Systolic and diastolic pressures and BMI were 169 +/- 24 mmHg, 105 +/- 14 mmHg and 26.7 +/- 3.9 kg/m(2)), LVM was 129 +/- 41 g/m(2) (Normal < 134 g/m(2)) in men and 113 +/- 35 g/m(2) (Normal 110 g/m(2)) in women, Concentric remodeling was found in 8 patients (LVM normal, relative wall thickness greater than or equal to 0.45), concentric left ventricle hypertrophy in 10 (LVM > normal, relative wall thickness greater than or equal to 0.45), excentric left ventricular hypertrophy in 6 (LVM > normal, relative wall thickness < 0.45), asymmetric septal hypertrophy in 4 and normal echocardiogram in 8, There was a negative correlation between age and end diastolic left ventricle diameter (r = -0.34, p < 0.05) and age and end systolic ventricle diameter (r = -0.74, p < 0.05), There was a positive correlation between body surface and septal thickness (r = 0.34, p < 0.05), posterior wall thickness (r = 0.56, relative wall p < 0.001), and relative wall thickness (r = 0.45, p = 0.05), Conclusion: This population of young subjects with hypertension showed a high prevalence of modifications in left ventricular geometry with predominant concentric modeling with (8/36) and without (10/36) left ventricle hypertrophy.