Abstract 4427: Electrocardiographic Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Predicts Long Term Fatal Outcomes in Elderly Hypertensives Despite Diuretic-Based Antihypertensive Treatment: 14-Year Follow-Up of the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP)
Background: To assess if diuretic-based antihypertensive treatment improves long term fatal (cardiovascular) outcomes in the elderly with isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) and ECG documented left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Methods: Retrospective analysis of the SHEP database of 4,736 patients age ≥60 years and ISH and subsequent vital status ascertainment by matching to the National Death Index. Results: 348 subjects (7.35%) of SHEP participants had ECG documented LVH at baseline. Subjects with LVH had at baseline: higher SBP and pulse pressure (p<0.0001), carotid bruits (13% vs. 7%, p<0.0001) and previous history of myocardial infarction (8% vs. 4%, p=.0008) when compared with participants without LVH. There were no significant differences with regard to age, sex, heart rate, body mass index, smoking and alcohol use, previous history of stroke, diabetes, angina, and assignment to treatment or placebo group. Over 14.3 years (mean) of follow up subjects with baseline LVH experienced significantly more all cause mortality (51% vs. 40%, p<0.0001) and cardiovascular death (24% vs. 19%, p=0.002) than participants without baseline LVH. In the group of participants with LVH at baseline active treatment of hypertension did not decrease all cause mortality (51% vs. 50%, NS) or cardiovascular death (26% vs. 24%, NS). There was no statistically significant interaction between LVH and the assignment to treatment (antihypertensive medication vs. placebo). In a multivariable analysis, the adjusted Cox hazard ratio of developing any fatal outcome in the LVH group was 1.181 (95% CI 1.005–1.387, p=0.043) after adjusting for age, sex, race, history of myocardial infarction, diabetes, alcohol smoking status, education, blood pressure, and assignment to treatment or to placebo group. Conclusion: In the elderly with ISH the presence of LVH documented by ECG increased the risk for long term fatal outcomes despite treatment with diuretic-based antihypertensive therapy. Although active treatment lowered risk in the SHEP study, treated participants with LVH had a higher risk for fatal outcomes than treated subjects without LVH.