Predictors of left ventricular hypertrophy development in patients with essential hypertension: role of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines

Objective: The data on the relationship between the level of TNF-α and interleukin-10 with the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy and myocardial remodeling in patients with essential hypertension is presented. Methods: Overall, 156 patients with essential hypertension aged 40 to 75 years (with mean age 55.8 ± 7.5 years) were examined; of which 57 were women and 99 were men. All patients were divided into two groups. The first group included 73 patients showing the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), established by echocardiography; the second group included 83 patients who showed no signs of LVH on the echocardiogram. Results: According to the study, no relationship was found between the concentration of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and the development of LVH. It was also shown that only men, but not women with, were associated with the presence of LVH with low levels of interleukin-10 ( IL-10). In addition, a negative correlation was found between the concentration of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and IL-10 with the thickness of the left ventricular walls at the initial stages of myocardial remodeling on the echocardiography. Conclusion: Thus, our study demonstrates the modulating role of inflammation on the processes of myocardial remodeling in hypertension.