Abstract P024: Blood Pressure Levels, Aggressiveness of Antihypertensive Therapy, and Prevalence of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

A major cause of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an excessive hemodynamic load, making LVH more common among people with hypertension. Clinical trials of antihypertensive medication have found that treatment reduces left ventricular mass among those with hypertension, but little is known about the prevalence of LVH in the general population that are taking, and not taking, antihypertensive medication. We examined the cross-sectional association between blood pressure control and LVH among 28,106 participants in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, to test the hypotheses that: 1) within strata of blood pressure control, LVH will be more prevalent in those requiring more intensive treatment, and 2) that within strata of intensiveness of blood pressure treatment, that LVH will be more prevalent at higher blood pressure levels. The REGARDS study enrolled black and white participants, aged 45 and older, from 2003-2007. Systolic blood pressure was defined as normal ...