Diastolic ventricular dysfunction is a significant problem in older people, with at least 40% of older heart failure patients having diastolic dysfunction as the etiology of their heart failure. The pathophysiology of diastolic dysfunction is varied but usually involves impaired left ventricular relaxation and/or increased ventricular stiffness, each partially related to normal aging changes, as well as underlying cardiovascular diseases. The significance of heart failure caused by diastolic dysfunction is great, with increased morbidity and mortality compared with other cardiac diseases that have the same preserved systolic function. Diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction can be clinically difficult and often requires further testing to determine if diastolic dysfunction is present. At this time, no therapy specifically treats diastolic dysfunction, but several medications, such as diuretics, calcium channel blockers, beta blockers, and angiotension-converting enzyme inhibitors, offer symptomatic relief and may prevent progression of the disorder.
This report describes the clinical, angiographic, and hemodynamic findings in nine patients who manifested nonatheromatous' ischemic heart disease induced by chronic industrial exposure to nitroglycerin and subsequent withdrawal. They represent nearly 5% incidence in the group of 200 workers with similar exposure. One patient died suddenly, and the disease was commonly without premonitory symptoms. Of the eight survivors, five were studied and none showed evidence of significant organic obstructive disease. However, in one studied during the withdrawal state, coronary and digital arteriospasm was demonstrated, and was readily reversed by nitroglycerin. Survivors exhibited exercise symptomatology and hemodynamic impairment similar to other patients with myocardial dysfunction from ischemic heart disease. Complete left bundle-branch block with late sudden death occurred in one, and chronic recurrent atrial fibrillation is present in a second.An attractive hypothesis suggests that chronic vasodilatation evokes homeostatic vasoconstriction, the latter persisting during the withdrawal period with cardiac ischemia. A more detailed study of the vasodilator action of organic nitrate and the homeostatic reaction is warranted. In addition, the effect of chronic administration of potent, longacting organic nitrate-based drugs should be examined in the light of this industrial experience.Additional Indexing Words: Industrial medicine Compensatory vasoconstriction Chronic vasodilator therapy Coronary artery spasm T HE ACUTE vasodilatory effects of nitroglycerin form the basis for the symptomatic therapy of angina pectoris. Daily
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