Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 21, 2026
Evaluation of Left Ventricular Structure and Function using 3D Echocardiography
Published on: October 28, 2020
[Body composition and left ventricular geometry]
Insights
In hypertensive patients, body composition influences heart structure. Fat mass relates to ventricular wall thickness in men, while fat-free mass relates to ventricular volume in both sexes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Body Composition Analysis
- Hypertension Research
Context:
- Left ventricular mass and cardiac output are known to correlate with fat-free body mass, especially in obesity.
- Hypertension is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and body composition may influence its impact on cardiac structure.
Purpose:
- To assess the relationship between ventricular geometry and body fat mass in treated hypertensive patients.
- To investigate how different components of body composition (fat mass and fat-free mass) relate to left ventricular mass and dimensions in hypertensive individuals.
Summary:
- This study analyzed 175 treated hypertensive patients, measuring body composition and left ventricular mass.
- Results indicate that in men, fat mass correlates with ventricular wall thickness, while fat-free mass correlates with ventricular volume in both men and women.
- These correlations are weak and suggest different mechanisms, potentially involving sympathetic tone and water volume.
Impact:
- Highlights the distinct roles of fat mass and fat-free mass in modulating cardiac geometry within hypertensive populations.
- Suggests that body composition assessment could offer insights into cardiovascular risk stratification in hypertension management.
- Provides a nuanced understanding of how body composition influences cardiac structure beyond simple measures like BMI.
Abstract:
Left ventricular mass and cardiac output are, particularly in obesity, correlated with fat free body mass. We assessed the relationship between ventricular geometry and fat body mass in treated hypertensives with or without normalization of blood pressure We investigated 175 patients (age: 57 +/- 15 years, M/F: 111/64, Mean blood pressure (MBP): 111 +/- 18 mmHg, BMI: 27.02 +/- 3.70 kg/m2: 20.3-39.6 kg/m2) with measure of body composition (impedancemetry Analycor2) and echographic left ventricular mass (adjusted to height2.7: mass2.7). Multiple correlation with adjustment to age and MBP were performed in men (M) and in women (W). Mass2.7 is correlated with fat mass percentage in men (R partial R: 5.6, p=0.02). LV diastolic diameter is correlated with fat free body mass while interventricular septum is correlated with fat body mass but only in men. In summary, in hypertensives not selected on BMI or BP, fat body mass is weakly correlated to ventricular wall thickness in men, probably mediated by sympathetic tone, while fat free body mass is related to ventricular volume in both gender probably through the water volume particularly in vascular bed. In conclusion, both components of body composition are differently, and weakly, linked to ventricular geometry in hypertensive patients.
