The Relationship of Blood Pressure to Cardiac Hypertrophy: Experimental Studies in Rats

Abstract

Cardiac hypertrophy is an independent predictor of morbidity and mortality. The exact relationship between blood pressure, hormones and cardiac hypertrophy is unclear. This study was undertaken to determine if intermittent elevation of blood pressure could cause left ventricular hypertrophy. Blood pressure was elevated intermittently by intraperitoneal injections of angiotension II, noradrenalin and methoxamine. Blood pressure was acutely elevated by 60 mmHg or more for periods lasting up to 1 hour on up to 4 occasions each day. Cardiac index was measured 2 and 4 weeks after the experiment started. The cardiac index was increased by all procedures. The results were complicated by a retardation of growth in some experimental groups, meaning that the cardiac weight did not increase though the index did. In a study looking at the interaction of sodium and angiotensin I1 highsodium intake caused left ventricular hypertrophy and injections of angiotensin I1 caused further left ventricular hypertrophy. This study indicated that acute intermittent elevation of blood pressure could cause left ventricular hypertrophy and suggests that wall stress rather than 24 hour workload is the important triggering mechanism.