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Updated: Jun 21, 2026
Evaluation of Left Ventricular Structure and Function using 3D Echocardiography
Published on: October 28, 2020
Ethnicity-related differences in left ventricular function, structure and geometry: a population study of UK Indian
Navtej S Chahal1, Tiong K Lim, Piyush Jain
1Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Northwick Park Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow HA1 3UJ, UK.
Objectives:
The authors studied healthy UK Indian Asian and European white subjects to assess whether functional, structural and geometrical properties of the left heart are intrinsically related to ethnicity.
Background:
Quantitative assessment of cardiac function and structure is necessary to diagnose heart failure syndromes and is validated to refine risk prediction. A better understanding of the demographic factors that influence these variables is required.
Methods:
458 healthy subjects were recruited from the London Life Sciences Prospective Population (LOLIPOP) study. They underwent 2-D and tissue Doppler echocardiography for quantification of left ventricular (LV) function, LV volumes, left atrial volume index (LAVI), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and relative wall thickness (RWT).
Results:
Indian Asians had attenuated mitral annular systolic velocity (8.9 cm/s vs 9.5 cm/s, p<0.001), lower mitral annular early diastolic velocity (10.3 cm/s vs 11.0 cm/s, p<0.001) and higher E/Ea ratio (7.9 vs 7.0, p<0.001) compared to European white subjects. Although Indian Asians had significantly smaller left heart volumes and LVMI, they had a significantly higher RWT (0.37 vs 0.35, p<0.001). After adjustment for covariates, these ethnicity-related differences remained highly significant (p<0.001).
Conclusion:
Compared to European white people, Indian Asians had attenuated longitudinal LV function, higher LV filling pressure and demonstrated a greater degree of concentric remodelling independent of other demographic and clinical parameters.
