"Our results prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that there are benefits for heart muscle from effective, sustained control of hypertension. This is yet one more reason for doctors to be very persistent in helping patients reduce their blood pressure to normal levels," says coauthor Richard B. Devereux, M.D.

One in four American adults has hypertension, according to the American Heart Association. Researchers undertook the current study to evaluate whether heart function could improve with treatment of hypertension, and whether that improvement would be greater than what one would expect by just lowering blood pressure.

The study included 647 hypertensive patients who had enrolled in the Losartan Intervention for Endpoint (LIFE) Echocardiography Sub Study. Patients underwent an echocardiogram at the start of the study and then yearly for the next two years. Researchers measured left ventricular mass and contractility.

Blood pressures were taken at the end of the echocardiogram while patients were on the examining table. Patients were randomized at the study's beginning to either losartan or atenolol to achieve target blood pressures of 140/90 mm Hg.

Blood pressure was reduced from an average 174/95 mm Hg at the start of the study to 147/82 mm Hg at three years. Normal blood pressure is less than 130/85 mm Hg. Left ventricular mass was reduced from an average of 234g to 194g. Ventricular contractility improved from 97 percent to 105 percent of the predicted value