Objective: To evaluate the effects of mild to moderate hypertension and of LVH on diastolic filling and other Doppler indices in the elderly.
Design: Survey with a control group.
Subjects: Seventy-one hypertensives (34 men, 37 women) referred for echocardiograms and 32 age- and sex-matched normotensive volunteers. Thirty-six of the hypertensives had LVH; 34 did not.
Setting: Echocardiographic laboratory.
Measurements: M-mode, two-dimensional, and pulsed Doppler echocardiograms. A wide variety of Doppler-derived indices of diastolic function were assessed.
Results: All Doppler derived indices of left ventricular diastolic filling (peak E, peak A, their ratio, EF slope, time-velocity integrals, atrial filling fraction, and isovolumic relaxation time) were similar among the three groups.
Conclusion: Elderly mild to moderate hypertensives with or without LVH have LV diastolic filling that is normal for age. The identification of pathological diastolic dysfunction requires comparison to age-matched controls, since aging, a major factor influencing diastolic filling, can mask the effect of hypertension.