Left ventricular diastolic function in athletes and borderline hypertensives with mild cardiac hypertrophy

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diastolic function in athletes and in young borderline hypertensives with mild left ventricular hypertrophy. Left ventricular filling was assessed by echo Doppler measurement of transmitral flow velocity in 18 soccer players (age 22 +/- 4 years, left ventricular mass index, LVMI 136 +/- 12 g/m2), in 15 borderline hypertensives (age 21 +/- 3 years, LVMI 137 +/- 9 g/m2), and 20 normotensive subjects (age 22 +/- 4 years, LVMI 93 +/- 10 g/m2) as reference group. We found that left ventricular filling profile was similar in borderline hypertensives, in athletes and in normotensive subjects. These findings suggest that, at least in the early stage, mild cardiac hypertrophy secondary to borderline blood pressure elevation is characterized by indexes of diastolic function not different from those found in athletes with physiological hypertrophy.