Effects on left ventricular hypertrophy of long-term nonpharmacological treatment with sodium restriction in mild-to-moderate essential hypertension

Abstract

Background: Cross-sectional studies on human hypertension have suggested an association between sodium intake and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Methods and Results: The effects on LVH of a nonpharmacological treatment program based mainly on sodium restriction were examined by serial echocardiography in a 12-month controlled, randomized study that included 76 previously untreated subjects with uncomplicated mild-to-moderate hypertension. The mean daily sodium excretion of 38 subjects randomized into the treatment group decreased from 195±95 to 94±73 mmol (P