Relationship between diastolic function and cardiovascular outcomes in patients during 5 years follow-up after diagnosis of hypertension in the argentine population

Objective: The aim of the study is to determine the impact of the presence of diastolic dysfunction in patients recently diagnosed with arterial hypertension on cardiovascular events after a follow-up period of 5 years. Design and method: A prospective observational study was conducted in 902 patients with a new hypertension diagnosis who underwent 24-hour blood pressure monitoring and echocardiography between 2015 and 2019. The incidence of serious adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) was analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for potential confounders. Results: The mean age was 59.7 years; 52% were female, 29.2% had dyslipidemia, 25.8% were smokers, and 7.9% had diabetes mellitus. During a median follow-up period of 33 months, 139 MACE occurred. For each year, HR increased by 1.03 (95% confidence interval [CI]:1.02-1.04, p < 0.001, Figure 1). In men, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 1.49 (95% confidence interval [CI]:1.05-2.13, p = 0.027). Body mass index (BMI) presented a HR of 1.03 (95% CI: 1.00-1.06, p < 0.001). The Diastolic Function (DF) HR increased for Grade II to 3.28 (95% CI: 1.98-5.41, p < 0.001) and for Grade III to 2.95 (95% CI: 1.26-6.91, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The DF grade II and III was the most important prognostic factor for MACE in patients with hypertension.