Background: Systemic arterial hypertension has clearly been shown to be a major factor in the
enhanced incidence of cardiac morbidity and mortality. Relaxation abnormalities are one of the
earliest manifestations of cardiac dysfunction and frequently precede systolic dysfunction in
hypertension. Severe diastolic dysfunction may cause pulmonary congestion even without any
deterioration of systolic 'Unction. Thus assessment of left ventricular diastolic filling in
individual patients is important from both the diagnostic and therapeutic points of view. |
