Abstract: The objective was to study the relationship between left ventricular diastolic f unction and left ventricular hypertrophy and their changing with ages in essential hyper tensive patients. Randomly, 3 024 outpatients of hypertension and healthy people were enrolled in Feb 1995 to Jul 2002, including 2 groups from 10 to 80 years old, and als o 481 patients with essential hypertension in three grades were enrolled, includ ing m en and women. Tissue Doppler imaging, and color M-mode echocardiogra phy were used to measure IVST(interventricular septal thickness), and PWT(left v e ntricular posterior wall thickness) and E/A. Compared with control group, E/A w as significantly lower, IVST and PWT were significantly higher(P<0.01). E/A and IVST of the two groups had the same instant changes with ages, and IVST wa s significantly, positively and partially correlated to E/A(P<0.01). In h ypert ension with three degrades, IVST and PWT of men's were significantly higher than that of women. In grade-one hypertension, E/A of women was significantly low er than that of men(P<0.05). The study shows that left ventricular diastoli c function decreases with the increase of ages, and it is positively and partial ly correlated to left ventricular hypertrophy. It is also effected by gender.

Key words: hypertension, left ventricular diastol ic function, left ventricular hypertrophy, interventricular septal thick ness(IVST), left ventricular posterior wall thickness(LVPWT)