[Left ventricular diastolic function in patients with bronchial asthma]

The aim of the study was to evaluate the diastolic function of the left ventricle (LV) in patients with bronchial asthma (BA) in relation to the phase and severity of the disease. Seventy four patients with BA, including 16 with mild persistent BA, 39 with moderate BA, and 19 with severe BA were examined in different phases of the disease. Echocardiography and Doppler study of intracardiac blood flow were performed and external respiratory function was studied. Thirty six healthy persons matched by age, gender, body weight, and blood pressure values made up a control group. Most characteristics of LV diastolic relaxation were found to become much worse in BA, which is due to bronchial obstruction, hypoxemia, dilatation, hypertrophy, and altered diastolic filling of the right ventricle (RV). LV diastolic filling improved when an exacerbation of BA attenuated. Worsening BA severity was ascertained to lead to decreased early LV filling, which is associated with enhanced bronchial obstruction, progressive RV hypertrophy and dilation, concentrated LV remodeling. The most likely mechanism of impaired transmitral blood flow in progressive BA is the impaired LV and RV interaction and pulmonary hemodynamic rearrangement. The revealed LV diastolic dysfunction in patients with BA of various severity and in different phases of the disease were not found to depend on heart rate changes.