Abstract
Background: The present study aimed at evaluating the feasibility of
using presystolic wave as an indicator of early myocardial damage in
patients with essential hypertension. Methods: The present study
included 90 patients diagnosed with hypertension. The patients were
divided into two groups on the basis of whether they exhibited the
presence of PSW (n = 64, age: 56 ±11 years) or its absence (n = 26, age:
58 ±13 years), as revealed by the results of left ventricular outflow
Doppler echocardiography. The levels of Heart-type free fatty
acid-binding protein were compared between the two groups. Results: In
the 90 hypertensive patients included in the present study, the
prevalence of presystolic wave was determined to be 71%. The Heart-type
free fatty acid-binding protein levels in the non-PSW patients were
observed to be statistically higher than those in the PSW patients
[4.88 ng/mL (2.82–17.83) vs. 3.99 ng/mL (2.57–17.87), p = 0.041].
Even though the ejection fractions and the left ventricular diameters
were within the normal limits for the patients of both the groups, the
value for the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was observed to be
statistically higher in the non-PSW group. No differences were observed
in the mitral flow parameters between the two groups. Conclusion: The
present study demonstrated that the absence of presystolic wave in the
hypertensive patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction
is an indicator of subclinical myocardial damage. The hypertensive
patients exhibiting the absence of the presystolic wave should be
strictly followed up for cardiac complications.