Irbesartan and Atenolol in Hypertensive Heart Disease

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system has been implicated in the control of structural changes of the heart and the vasculature, beyond the effects on blood pressure. This projects examines the importance of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and the sympathetic nervous system in the control of cardiac and vascular structure and function in subjects with hypertension.Patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy were randomized to an angiotensin receptor blocker or a beta adrenergic receptor blocker for 48 weeks. Repeat investigations of blood pressure, structure and function of the heart and the vascular tree, and neurohormones were performed. Two control groups, consisting of normotensive subjects and of hypertensive subjects with no cardiac hypertrophy were also examined for comparison.