Hypertensive Heart Disease in a Cardiology Setting in Lubumbashi: Clinical, Electrocardiographic and Echocardiographic Profile

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic characteristics of hypertensive heart disease in Lubumbashi. Study Design: This study is of a cross-sectional descriptive design. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted on patients who attented at Cardiology Center of Lubumbashi(CCL) between 2020 and 2024. Methodology: Patients were retrospectively selected through exhaustive sampling. We included those with echocardiographically documented hypertensive heart disease and a complete medical record from which data concerning the study variables were collected. The information was entered into an Excel spreadsheet and analyzed to determine the relative frequencies of the different variables. Results: A total of 250 cases of hypertensive heart disease were documented, with a slight predominance of female patients (51.2%). The most frequently identified cardiovascular risk factors were advanced age (57.6%), obesity (38.8%), dyslipidemia (30.0%), and diabetes mellitus (20.4%). Heart failure was present in 110 patients (44.0%). Electrocardiographic analysis revealed left ventricular hypertrophy in 53.6% of cases. Cardiac arrhythmias were also common, including ventricular extrasystoles (26.4%) and atrial fibrillation (12.8%). Echocardiographic examination demonstrated left ventricular hypertrophy in 78.6% of patients, predominantly of the eccentric type (62.8%), as well as left atrial enlargement in 64.0% of cases. Among patients with heart failure, 81.0% had a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), reflecting systolic dysfunction. Conclusion: In Lubumbashi, hypertensive heart disease is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage, often accompanied by marked left ventricular hypertrophy and major complications such as heart failure and arrhythmias. This alarming situation underscores the urgent need to strengthen hypertension prevention and management strategies within the general population to reduce the risk of onset or progression of hypertensive heart disease.