Left ventricular mass but not geometry determines left atrial size in the early stages of hypertension.

We investigated whether the type of left ventricular (LV) geometry is associated with left atrial (LA) size as determined either by LA diameter or by volume, indexed for body surface area, in essential hypertensives. A total of 339 consecutive, untreated, hypertensives (aged 51.8 years, 234 males) underwent 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring and estimation of LA diameter and volume, as well as LV structure and function by echocardiography. LV hypertrophy was present in 130 (38.3%) patients whereas normal geometry (LV-NG), concentric remodeling (LV-CR), concentric hypertrophy (LV-CH) and eccentric hypertrophy (LV-EH) represented 34.5, 27.1, 25.7 and 12.7%, respectively. Patients with either LV-CH or LV-EH had increased LA diameter index compared with those with either LV-NG (by 1.1 mm m(-2), P<0.01 and 1.4 mm m(-2), P=0.003, respectively) or LV-CR (by 1.3 mm m(-2), P=0.003 and 1.6 mm m(-2), P=0.001, respectively). Similarly, patients with either LV-CH or LV-EH had significantly increased LA volume index compared with those with either LV-NG (by 3.2 ml m(-2), P<0.001 and 3.4 ml m(-2), P<0.005, respectively) or LV-CR (by 4.5 and 4.7 ml m(-2), respectively, P<0.001 for both). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the independent predictors of both LA volume and diameter index were LV mass index, 24-h pulse pressure and E/Em.LA size assessed either by its diameter or by volume is closely related only to LV mass index and not to any specific LV geometric pattern in the early stages of essential hypertension.

Outlet type of interventricular septal defect in SanFilippo type-B syndrome.

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are a heterogeneous group of lysosomal storage disorders, due to deficiency of glycosaminoglycans breakdown enzymes. MPS type III is also known as SanFilippo syndrome, which is further subdivided into four distinct forms--A, B, C and D--caused by different enzyme deficiencies, but with similar clinical characteristics. Cardiac involvement in SanFilippo syndrome is less common compared with the other MPS types. In our case report, outlet type of interventricular septal defect was echocardiographically diagnosed in a fifteen year-old boy with known history of SanFilippo type-B syndrome, which, to our knowledge, has not yet been reported.

The controversial role of serum uric acid in essential hypertension: relationships with indices of target organ damage.

The role of serum uric acid (SUA) in the context of adverse cardiovascular events in hypertensive subjects is controversial. Additionally, the relationship between SUA and indices of target organ damage is not well defined in this setting. Towards this end, we studied 842 consecutive nondiabetic patients with stage I-II essential hypertension (office blood pressure=148/95 mmHg, aged 53.4 years), referred to our outpatient hypertensive unit within a period of 4 years. According to the urinary albumin excretion (UAE), the study population was classified into those with microalbuminuria [MA(+), UAE=20-200 mg/24 h, n=222] and those without MA [MA (-), UAE< 20 mg/24 h, n=620]. Moreover, according to the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) the participants were subdivided into two additional groups: [LVH (+), n=305 and LVH (-), n=537]. SUA levels were higher by 0.4 mg/dl, (P=0.04) in group MA (+) compared with the group MA (-), while no difference was observed between groups LVH (+) and LVH (-) (P=NS). In the entire population, SUA was correlated with body mass index (BMI) (r=0.17, P<0.001), waist/hip ratio (r=0.3, P<0.001), office systolic blood pressure (SBP) (r=0.14, P<0.05), triglycerides levels (r=0.25, P<0.001), UAE (r=0.35, P<0.001) and HDL (r=-0.26, P<0.001). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that SUA was significantly related with BMI, office SBP and UAE (P<0.05). In conclusion, increased SUA levels are associated with MA but not with LVH in essential hypertensive subjects. Whether these inter-relationships may elucidate the clinical positioning of augmented SUA in this setting remains to be clarified in future studies.