Speckle Tracking Echocardiography in the Diagnosis of Subclinical Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Hypertensive Patients

Introduction: The early diagnosis of subclinical left ventricular systolic dysfunction in hypertensive patients is of crucial importance to prevent further adverse events and the onset of tissue and organ complications. Aim: To determine a high-risk group on the basis of subclinical Left Ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction using Speckle Tracking Echocardiography (STE). Materials and Methods: This was a case-control study comparing 80 patients with hypertension (HTN, mild, moderate and severe) with preserved Ejection Fraction (EF) with or without Diastolic Dysfunction (DD) to 70 healthy volunteers. We defined subclinical LV systolic dysfunction as a reduced global longitudinal strain (GLS)