Potential protective effect of long-term therapy with Xuezhikang on left ventricular diastolic function in patients with essential hypertension.

Objective: To investigate the benefits of long-term therapy with Xuezhikang, a cholestin extract, in combination with calcium channel blockers for improvement of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and function in patients with essential hypertension, as determined using echocardiography. Design: Fifty-five (55) hypertensive patients with normal blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were randomly assigned to the Xuezhikang group (n=28, 1200 mg/d of Xuezhikang) or the placebo group (n=27, matched placebo). All of the patients were treated with extended-release nifedipine (20 mg twice daily). Thirty (30) normotensive subjects, matched for age and gender, were selected as a control group. Conventional echocardiography and tissue Doppler imaging were used to measure the left ventricle (LV) wall thickness and LV diastolic function at weeks 0, 24, and 72 during the period of observation. The serum levels of lipids, carboxyterminal propeptide of procollagen type I (PIP), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined as well. Results: The hypertensive patients had significantly elevated PIP and CRP levels in serum, increased LV wall thickness, and impaired LV diastolic function compared with the normotensive subjects (0.01更多