Extracellular volume(ECV) quantified by T1 mapping could reflect effect of long term blood pressure control status in patients with essential hypertension

Background Diffuse myocardial fibrosis is an important pathophysiological process involved into essential hypertension which may increase myocardium stiffness, cause ventricular remodeling and increase adverse cardiovascular risk eventually. It is strongly evident that optimal antihypertensive therapy will reduce the risk induced by hypertension, however, very few proportion of patients with hypertension can reach the recommended target of blood pressure (BP) control. So far little knowledge has been illuminated for effect of blood pressure control status on the myocardial fibrosis in hypertension. T1 mapping and extracellular volume (ECV) quantified by CMR has been adopted as a good method in examination of diffuse fibrosis. Besides, variation of serum fibrosis biomarkers may also reflect the degree of myocardial fibrosis. Based on the above we hypothesised that there was a correlation between ECV, serum fibrotic biomarkers and long-term BP control status in patients with essential hypertension.