Effects of Antihypertensive Treatment on Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Patients with Essential Hypertension

In an attempt to determine which type of antihypertensive drug is more effective in reducing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), thiazide, α‐methyldopa, hydralazine and propranolol were administered singly or in combination to patients with essential hypertension, and to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). QRS voltage [S 1 + R 5 (or R 6 )] in the electrocardiogram (ECG), the cardio‐thorax (C/T) ratio in chest x‐ray films, and the heart weight were used to assess regression of LVH and cardiomegaly. The S 1 + R 5 (or R 6 ) and the C/T ratio were well correlated with the pretreatment systolic blood pressure. Adequate blood pressure control produced regression of S 1 + R 5 (or R 6 ) and the C/T ratio, but the change in QRS voltage remained the earlier and more reliable sign of LVH for evaluating the effectiveness of therapy. The regression of QRS voltage and heart weight occurred regardless of which type of therapeutic drug was used in patients with essential hypertension and in SHR. It is suggested that LVH is directly related to the height of arterial pressure and that lowering of arterial pressure can be followed by regression of ECG‐LVH regardless of the type of depressive drug used.