An Echocardiographic Study Of Right Ventricular Function In Systemic Hypertension

Introduction: Hypertension remains the commonest cardiovascular disease in Nigeria. Most studies have focused on LV function assessment in HBP with minimal study of RV. The aim of this study is to assess RV function in HBP subjects and to determine the association, if any, between LV dysfunction and RV dysfunction.

Methods: The study was a case-control study. A total of 200 subjects were recruited, of which 100 were hypertensive subjects while another 100 were normotensive controls. RVSD was defined as tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) < 1.6 cm, while RVDD was defined as tricuspid E/A ratio < 0.8 or > 2.1, or between 0.8–2.1 with inferior vena cava (IVC) collapsibility > 50%.

Results: Among the hypertensive subjects, the prevalence of RVSD was 32% while that for RVDD was 64%. Right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) was present in 79% and RV dilatation in 13%. There was a statistically significant association between parameters of LV dysfunction and RV dysfunction in HBP subjects (LVH and RVSD, p = 0.003; LVEF and TAPSE, r = 0.497, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The study found that one-third of patients with HBP had RVSD as defined by reduced TAPSE and over half had RVDD. Also, some indices of RV structure such as RV wall thickness and RV diameter were abnormal in about one-tenth of these HBP patients. This remains a topic for further research.