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Echocardiography in clinical practice: the burden of arterial hypertension. A multicenter Italian survey

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 24, pages 395–402 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Little information is available about the burden of hypertension on echo-lab activity in current practice. The aim of the present nation-wide survey in outpatient echo-labs was to investigate the prevalence rates of (1) echo examinations performed for the evaluation of hypertensive cardiac damage; (2) reports providing quantitative data on left ventricular (LV) structure and geometry; (3) LV hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensives referred to echo labs. The study was carried out in 14 outpatient echo-labs across Italy. Prescriptions written by general practitioners were used to identify the indications for the examinations. Estimates of LVH were derived from original echo reports or were calculated from LV primary measures, when available, with Devereux's formula in a post-analysis. Echo examination was performed in 2449 subjects (1245 men and 1204 women); hypertension was the indication for echo in 745 (30.4%) cases. In this subgroup, LV mass (LVM), LVM indexed to body surface area, LVM indexed to height2.7 and relative wall thickness ratio were reported in 58, 59, 54 and 52%, respectively. LVH was present in 53% of untreated hypertensives and, among treated patients, in 45 and 65% of those with and without blood pressure control, respectively. Our findings show that (1) hypertension accounts for approximately one-third of echo examinations performed in clinical practice; (2) a large fraction of echo reports do not provide quantitative data on LVM and LV geometry, (3) LVH is highly prevalent in hypertensives referred to echo labs for assessment of cardiac damage.

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Acknowledgements

The work was supported by a grant from the Italian Society of Hypertension.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Medicine and Prevention, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy

    C Cuspidi, F Negri & A Capra

  2. Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milano, Italy

    C Cuspidi, F Negri & V Giudici

  3. Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy

    M L Muiesan & E Agabiti-Rosei

  4. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Naples, Italy

    G de Simone

  5. Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Scienze Cardiovascolari ed Immunologiche, Università Federico II, Napoli, Italy

    N De Luca

  6. Division of Cardiology, II Faculty of Medicine, University of Rome La Sapienza, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome, Italy

    G Tocci

  7. Chair of Internal Medicine and Hypertension Center, Ospedale S. Giuseppe, Milano, Italy

    A Morganti

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  1. C Cuspidi
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  7. G de Simone
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  8. N De Luca
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on behalf of the Working Group on Heart and Hypertension of the Italian Society of Hypertension

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Correspondence to C Cuspidi.

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Appendix

Appendix

List of investigators

Bonanomi C, Settimi E, Danzi GB. Divisione di Cardiologia; IRCCS, Fondazione Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, Milano; Branzi G, Lonati L, Parati G. Divisione di Cardiologia Ospedale San Luca, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milano; Capra A, Giannattasio C, Trocino G, Casati A. Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Prevenzione e Clinica Medica Generale, Divisione di Cardiologia, Ospedale San Gerardo, Monza; Chiappa L, Paggi A, Morganti A. UO Medicina Generale e Servizio di Cardiologia Ospedale S Giuseppe e Università degli Studi di Milano; Longo M, Valerio C, Marconi M. Centro Trasfusionale e di Immunoematologia Fondazione Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, Milano; Macca G. UO Cardiologia Clinica San Carlo, Paderno Dugnano; Milan A. Dipartimento di Medicina ed Oncologia Sperimentale, Divisione di Medicina Interna, Universita' di Torino; Negri F, Giudici V, Re A, Cuspidi C. Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Meda; Pellizzoli S, Robustelli F. Divisione di Cardiologia, Ospedale di Morbegno; Rao MAE, Iovino GL, Arcucci O, N De Luca Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Scienze Cardiovascolari, Università degli Studi ‘Federico II’, Napoli; Salvetti M, Paini A, Galbassini G. Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche, Universita' di Brescia; Tocci G, Ciavarella M, Volpe M. Unita' Operativa Complessa di Cardiologia, II Facolta' di Medicina e Chirurgia, Universita' La Sapienza, Roma; Vaccarella A. Servizio di Cardiologia- Presidio Operativo e di Ricerca di Casatenovo I.N.R.C.A-IRCCS; Veglia MG. UO Cardiologia Ospedale Madonna delle Grazie, Matera.

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Cuspidi, C., Negri, F., Giudici, V. et al. Echocardiography in clinical practice: the burden of arterial hypertension. A multicenter Italian survey. J Hum Hypertens 24, 395–402 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2009.78

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