Transient myocardial ischemia in hypertensive patients

We wanted to determine whether there are episodes of myocardial ischemia in hypertensive patients with a normal coronary angiogram. ST-segment analysis on 24-h-Holter ECG was performed in 35 patients (18 males/17 females; mean age 54.6 +/- 10.4 years) with essential arterial hypertension (systolic/diastolic blood pressure 189.7 +/- 29/99.5 +/- 15 mm Hg). Left ventricular muscle mass (LVMM), enddiastolic volume (EDV), and the relation of mass to volume (M/V) were measured by ventriculography. Stenosis of coronary vessels was excluded by angiography in all patients. In 16 of 35 patients we observed 6.63 +/- 6.73 episodes of transient myocardial ischemia (ST-segment depressions greater than or equal to 1 mm, duration of the episode greater than or equal to 1 min). The duration of the episodes was 29.3 +/- 58.1 min, the maximal ST-segment depression 1.6 +/- 0.6 mm. In 95% of the episodes the patients did not experience any angina pectoris ("silent ischemia"). The degree of left ventricular muscle mass did not differ in hypertensive patients with and without transient myocardial ischemia (185.2 +/- 48.3 vs 227.1 +/- 71.5 g/m2). Systolic wall stress i.e. afterload was significantly higher in hypertensive patients with ST-segment depressions than in those without. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that transient myocardial ischemia often occurs in hypertensive patients. It seems that left ventricular hypertrophy by itself (myocardial factor) does not play a major role. Transient myocardial ischemia occurs mainly in hypertensive patients with eccentric myocardial hypertrophy i.e. low mass-volume ratio and high systolic wall stress. Accordingly, the occurrence of transient myocardial ischemia in hypertensive patients seems to be dependent on the myocardial energy demand.