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Early hypertension is associated with reduced regional cardiac function, insulin resistance, epicardial, and visceral

Anna Maria Sironi1, Alessandro Pingitore, Sergio Ghione

  • 1Metabolism and MRI Laboratory, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Institute of Clinical Physiology, Via Moruzzi, 1-S Cataldo, 56124 Pisa, Italy. sironi@ifc.cnr.it

Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979)
|January 4, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Early hypertension reduces regional heart function, even with normal global cardiac performance. Insulin resistance, visceral fat, and dyslipidemia are linked to this decline.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Metabolic Syndrome
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Mild-to-moderate hypertension is frequently linked to insulin resistance and visceral adiposity.
  • The independent impact of these metabolic abnormalities on regional cardiac function remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance, and ectopic fat on peak systolic circumferential strain.
  • To assess the relationship between these factors and regional cardiac function in men.

Main Methods:

  • Cardiac magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with tissue tagging was used to evaluate regional function.
  • MR imaging quantified abdominal visceral and epicardial fat.
  • Oral glucose tolerance tests assessed glucose tolerance and insulin resistance; serum lipid profiles were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Circumferential shortening progressively decreased across blood pressure groups (normal, prehypertension, hypertension).
  • Reduced circumferential strain correlated with higher blood pressure, independent of age.
  • Strain reduction was also associated with epicardial/visceral fat, triglycerides, and insulin resistance, independent of age and blood pressure.

Conclusions:

  • Regional left ventricular function is impaired in early hypertension stages, despite normal global function.
  • Insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and ectopic fat accumulation are associated with reduced regional systolic function.

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