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Prognostic value of midwall shortening fraction and its relation with left ventricular mass in systemic hypertension
P Verdecchia1, G Schillaci, G Reboldi
1Ospedale Generale Regionale Raffaello Silvestrini, Dipartimento di Discipline Cardiovascolari, Università di Perugia, Itlay. verdec@tin.it
Insights
Midwall shortening fraction, a measure of heart function, did not predict major cardiovascular events in essential hypertension patients after accounting for left ventricular mass. This finding is crucial for understanding hypertension prognosis.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Hypertension Research
- Echocardiography
Background:
- Essential hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
- Echocardiography is vital for assessing cardiac structure and function in hypertensive patients.
- Identifying reliable prognostic markers in hypertension is clinically significant.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the prognostic value of midwall shortening fraction in predicting major cardiovascular events.
- To determine if midwall shortening fraction remains a significant predictor after adjusting for left ventricular mass.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal follow-up of 1,778 patients with essential hypertension.
- Echocardiography performed at initial diagnosis.
- Tracking of major cardiovascular events over up to 12 years.
Main Results:
- A total of 166 major cardiovascular events were recorded during the follow-up period.
- Midwall shortening fraction was not a significant independent predictor of cardiovascular events.
- The prognostic significance of midwall shortening fraction was attenuated when left ventricular mass was considered.
Conclusions:
- Left ventricular mass is a more robust prognostic indicator than midwall shortening fraction in essential hypertension.
- Midwall shortening fraction may not be a reliable standalone predictor for cardiovascular events in this population.
- Further research may explore combined echocardiographic parameters for improved risk stratification.
Abstract:
We followed 1,778 subjects (up to 12 years) with essential hypertension who underwent echocardiography at the time of their initial diagnostic workup. There were 166 major cardiovascular events during follow-up and the prognostic value of the midwall shortening fraction did not remain significant after controlling for left ventricular mass.