Incidence of coronary artery disease in asymptomatic uncomplicated essential hypertensive patients--evaluation by treadmill exercise test.

Treadmill exercise test was performed in 100 patients, 50 were hypertensive who were not having any clinical or electrocardiographic manifestation of coronary artery disease and 50 were controls. The test was positive in 28% of hypertensive patients as compared to 6% in controls. This study therefore suggests that hypertension is frequently associated with asymptomatic coronary artery disease as compared to normotension and it is concluded that exercise electrocardiography test is a definite diagnostic tool in diagnosis of coronary artery disease not only in symptomatic but also in asymptomatic patients with one or more risk factors.