Left ventricular structural changes in young men at increased risk of developing essential hypertension. Assessment by echocardiography.

Left ventricular structural changes were assessed by echocardiography in young men at increased risk of developing essential hypertension. Four groups were investigated: 28 normotensive offspring of hypertensives (NTO), 20 borderline hypertensive offspring of hypertensives (BHO), 12 borderline hypertensives with normotensive parents (BH) and 28 normotensive subjects with normotensive parents (NT). The septum-posterior wall ratio was increased in the risk groups (NT, BHO, BH). The increased ratio could be explained by both heredity and elevated blood pressure. Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) correlated strongly with physical activity in the NT group, so LVMI was adjusted accordingly. The adjusted LVMI was significantly increased in the risk groups. The increase in the adjusted LVMI could best be explained by the elevated blood pressure and not by heredity. Multivariate analysis of variance showed that physical activity is an independent predictor of LVMI only in the NT group and that systolic blood pressure is an independent predictor of LVMI only in the risk groups.