A cross sectional comparative study of clinical features, electrocardiography, and echocardiographic features in hypertensive patients with and without medication in a tertiary care hospital.

Abstract

Background: Hypertension can lead to ischaemic heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, heart failure, arrhythmia especially atrial fibrillation. Hypertension is major health problem affecting the public globally. Diagnosis is delayed because it is asymptomatic most of the time. Antihypertensive medications also protective against progression of diastolic dysfunction. Lowering blood pressure improves diastolic dysfunction irrespective of type of antihypertensive agent used. Antihypertensive like ACEIs, ARBs, diuretics, CCBs, beta blockers are used for long term therapy in combination or alone. This study is being undertaken to determine clinical features in hypertensive patients with and without medication and to correlate electrocardiographic and echocardiographic features in hypertensive patients with and without medication.
Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted from January 2020 to June 2021 over a period of 18 months. It included 100 hypertensive patients, out of which 50 patients were on medication and 50 were without medication. The study was approved by the institutional ethical committee, tertiary care centre, Bangalore, India. Patient who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. A detailed history and clinical examination were carried out in all the subjects who gave informed consent to participate in the study and necessary investigations were recorded.