Objective: Hypertension has been reported to affect both the left and the right ventricular functions, but its effect on the coronary sinus has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of systemic hypertension on the cardiac venous system by evaluating the coronary sinus strain (CSS).
Methods: One-hundred and twelve hypertensive patients without diabetes and 44 healthy individuals (the control group) were evaluated consecutively at the outpatient clinic and enrolled in the study. CSS was evaluated by echocardiography in all the participants before blood pressure evaluations. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring enabled the study population to be divided into two groups: 52 patients with dipper pattern hypertension and 60 with nondipper pattern hypertension.
Results: Nondipper pattern patients had significantly lower values of CSS compared with the participants in the control group (140.8±54.2 and 193.9±48.1, P<0.001). Similarly, dipper pattern patients had significantly lower values of CSS values compared with the controls (164±68.4 and 193.9±48.1, P=0.036). On comparing the three groups, the CSS values showed a progressive decrease from normal individuals to dipper and nondipper hypertension patients. Correlation analysis indicated a positive correlation between the aortic strain and the CSS (r=0.247, P=0.002). There was a weak correlation between left ventricular mass and CSS (r=-164, P=0.041).
Conclusion: Our study suggests that systemic hypertension may affect the cardiac venous system as well as the arterial system, which has been reported in many papers. The effect on the venous system may be more pronounced in nondipper pattern hypertension.