[Effect of cilazapril therapy on diastolic filling and left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with arterial hypertension].

BACKGROUND

Of the main aspects of hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy and appearance of cardiac dysfunction seem to be the most common and to produce an early and severe cardiac deterioration. Even in the presence of normal systolic function diastolic filling abnormalities are described. The efficacy of many antihypertensive drugs to decrease blood pressure and to reduce left ventricular hypertrophy has already been demonstrated. Cilazapril is a new ACE-inhibitor that in previous studies showed a very important antihypertensive effect. To assess its capacity, in long-term treatment, to reduce left ventricular hypertrophy we performed a prospective study on patients with mild hypertension.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Nineteen patients (aged 48 +/- 15 years) with mild hypertension (mean arterial pressure automatically recorded for 24 hours with blood pressure ambulatorial monitoring) were treated with cilazapril (5 mg/day) for 1 year. Doppler echocardiography was performed: at the beginning, after 6 months and after one year of therapy. The following parameters were evaluated: interventricular septal and posterior wall thickness, LV end-diastolic diameter, LV mass index, early (E) and late (A) diastolic filling flow velocities and the ratio E/A.

RESULTS

A significant decrease was observed in mean arterial pressure (from 130 +/- 14 mmHg at beginning to 102 +/- 11 mmHg at six months of therapy and to 103 +/- 9 mmHg at one year of therapy). A significant reduction in LV hypertrophy and an improved diastolic filling pattern of the left ventricle was shown after six months of therapy with cilazapril; this improvement still remained after 1 year of therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study antihypertensive efficacy of cilazapril has been confirmed. Moreover, in long treatment, cilazapril has been useful to reduce left ventricular hypertrophy and to improve diastolic filling without significant side effects.