Regression of left ventricular hypertrophy in "previously untreated" hypertensive blacks after 6 months of blood pressure reduction with alpha- and beta-adrenergic blockade and thiazide therapy.

In 10 hypertensive black patients who were "previously untreated" (defined as no antihypertensive therapy for a minimum of 12 months prior to enrollment) and who had LVH (defined by an increase in both wall thickness and echocardiographically determined LV mass), we studied the effects of treatment with either labetalol, an alpha- and beta-adrenergic blocker (three patients), or labetalol plus hydrochlorothiazide (seven patients). After 6 months of effective antihypertensive therapy, there was a 12% decrease in LV mass for the entire group. However, the extent of LVH regression was highly variable among individual patients.