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Abstract
Background: Hypertension is a major health problem and an important cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. Chronic hypertension can cause left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), a major predictor of adverse cardiac events.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy and its association with clinical characteristics among hypertensive patients presenting at Rehman Medical Institute (RMI), Peshawar.
Material and Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study was done on 222 hypertensive patients. Demographic, clinical and echocardiographic data were retrieved from hospital records and analyzed using SPSS version 27.0. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were performed.
Results: The mean age of the 222 hypertensive patients was 53.18 ± 16.50 years, and 60.8% of them were men. Of the subjects, 81.5% had concentric hypertrophy and 18.5% had eccentric hypertrophy. Of the patients, 39.6% had diabetes mellitus, 96.8% had coronary artery disease, and 43.2% smoked. Gender, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, cardiovascular disease, and peripheral arterial disease were found to be significantly correlated with left ventricular geometry (p < 0.05). Additionally, a positive association between interventricular septal thickness and systolic blood pressure was discovered, suggesting that cardiac hypertrophy progresses as blood pressure rises.
Conclusion: Patients with hypertension are very likely to have LVH, especially concentric hypertrophy. To stop development and lower cardiovascular risk, early echocardiographic evaluation and stringent blood pressure control are crucial.