Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the echocardiographic changes in patients who have masked hypertension (MH) and white coat hypertension (WCH ) depending on monitoring of blood pressure by ambulatory method.
Method: This study was conducted on 66 subjects in a private clinic in Al-Hilla city; the
subjects underwent a 24hs ABPM in addition to a transthoracic echocardiography. Based on the readings of ABP measurements, average and maximum 24h diastolic and systolic blood pressure (BP) were analyzed during mean nighttime (from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) and during mean daytime (from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.). The echocardiographic parameters included the measurement of left atrial size, left atrial diameter (LAD), posterior cardiac wall thickness (PWT), anterior cardiac wall thickness (AWT), E/A ratio, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), and isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT).
Result: The percentage of patients having WCH was higher than MH 41:66 (62%) vs. (38%) (25:66). Regarding WCH, there were few patients had personal history of hypertension 5 (12%) and most of them had family history of hypertension 36 (88%), while in case of MH, all patients had negative personal history of hypertension and most of them had negative family history 21 (84%) of hypertension. This study also showed a significant relation between EA ratio and type of hypertension (p=0.000) and the ratio was increased more in MH than WCH, also it showed significant relation between types of hypertension and all calculated echocardiographic parameters and the changes in MH were more than those in WCH.
Conclusion: The study showed a considerable relation between type of hypertension and
all calculated echocardiographic parameter, the risk on the heart is more in MH than
WCH. ABPMs is clinically more useful than traditional blood pressure measurements.