OBJECTIVES To determine whether the heart rate (HR) response to exercise in 21 highly trained cyclists (mean (SD) age 25 (3) years) was related to their heart dimensions. METHODS Before performing an incremental exercise test involving a ramp protocol with workload increases of 25 W/min, each subject underwent echocardiographic evaluation of the following variables: left ventricular end diast...

Normotensive and hypertensive subjects with and without left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LV mass index [LVMI] >51 g/m(2.7)) were examined by conventional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging of mitral annulus motion. The subgroups included nonobese normotensive subjects (n=16; age 51+/-9 years; 11 female; systolic blood pressure [SBP] 109+/-11 mm Hg, body mass index [BMI] 24+/-2.7 kg/m...

BACKGROUND Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) is a phosphorus-regulating substance. Circulating FGF-23 levels increase markedly in dialysis patients and are independently associated with increased risk of mortality. Given the fact that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in dialysis patients, the aim of this study was to test if elevated FGF-23 levels might be associated with...

Objective To examine the relationship between Tpeak- Tend interval (Tpe) and Tpe/QT ratio with occurrence of ventricular premature beats (VPBs) and left ventricular remodeling in hypertension. Methods A total of 52 patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension were included, undergoing echocardiography and 24-hours Holter monitoring. Ventricular remodeling was assessed by left ventric...

BACKGROUND Hypertension (HT) is common in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and is responsible for increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of 'uncontrolled HT' during background therapy in CAPD patients by using office measurements and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). We further determined wheth...

OBJECTIVES Afro-Caribbean subjects have a higher prevalence of hypertension, a lower prevalence of ischaemic heart disease and a higher premature mortality compared to White Europeans. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is also more prevalent in Afro-Caribbeans even at similar levels of blood pressure. It is widely believed that carotid artery intima-media thickening (IMT) represents an early m...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of nitrates on left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensive patients on chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD). Sixty-four PD patients with hypertension were enrolled in this study. All patients accepted antihypertensive drugs at baseline. Thirty-two patients (nitrate group) took isosorbide mononitrate for 24 weeks. The remaining 32 patients (non-...

BACKGROUND The increased risk associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) diagnosed echocardiographically (Echo-LVH) or electrocardiographically (ECG-LVH) is well known, but the clinically relevant question of how much additional prognostic information would be provided by echocardiographically assessing LVH if a subject's ECG-LVH and hypertension status are known has not been addressed....

Icodextrin-based peritoneal dialysis (PD) has many advantages over glucose-based PD. The present study aimed to investigate when icodextrin should be started for better management of cardiovascular status (as defined by echocardiography findings) and residual renal function (RRF). We retrospectively analyzed 40 patients treated with continuous ambulatory PD or automated PD. The patients were di...

Primary aldosteronism is the most common secondary endocrine form of hypertension and causes many cardiovascular injuries. KCNJ5 somatic mutations have recently been identified in aldosterone-producing adenoma. However, their impacts on left ventricular remodeling precluding interference age, sex, blood pressure are still uncertain. We enrolled 184 adenoma patients who received adrenalectomy. C...