Ohya Y, Abe I, Fuji K, Onaka U, Kobayashi K, Fujishima M
Intima-media thickness of carotid artery in patients with hypertensive heart disease and hypertensive cardiomyopathy
50th Annual Fall Conference AHA Council for High Blood Pressure Research
Hypertens (Sep) 28:510 1996

Hypertension is known to cause cardiac hypertrophy and systemic vascular hypertrophy. The effects of hypertension on the heart are accurately quantitated using echocardiography. Similarly, the effects on large arteries can be quantitated using ultrasound; the intimal-media thickness is used as a surrogate marker for vascular hypertrophy. This study addresses whether subjects with another form of cardiac hypertrophy due to HCM also have large vessel hypertrophy.

The authors studied 3 groups of patients; a) 391 subjects with essential hypertension(of which 34 had HHD with wall thickness more than 1.4cm), b) 357 normotensive subjects, and c) 16 subjects with HCM. These latter subjects were identified using family history, EKG and echocadiography showing eccentric hypertrophy. All subjects underwent cardiac and carotid ultrasonography. Results were as follows: 
  Group            IMT
                   (mean +/- SD, mm)

Normotensives      0.60 +/- 0.10
HCM                0.61 +/- 0.08
HHD                0.74 +/- 0.13

(n=34 with wall thickness
greater/equal to 1.4 cm)
In those subjects without HCM, a significant correlation was present between IMT and wall thickness which failed after adjustment for BP.

Comment: This abstract suggests that subjects with HCM do not experience vascular hypertrophy, although the number of subjects with HCM studied is small. It also suggests that the abnormality causing the cardiac hypertrophy expresses itself in an organ specific way. Other studies examining these issues will almost certainly bear clinically relevant information. (George Mansoor, M.D., University of Connecticut)

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50th Annual Fall Conference AHA Council for High Blood Pressure Research
H: Pathophysiology : Vascular pathology