Diastolic dysfunction: prevalence, mortality risk, and assessing severity to stratify risk
1Jackson National Life Insurance Company, 1 Corporate Way, Lansing, Michigan 48951, USA. clifford.hale@Jackson.com
Journal of Insurance Medicine (New York, N.Y.)
|July 30, 2010
Summary
Diastolic dysfunction, a common cause of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, is often unrecognized. This review clarifies its causes and echocardiographic assessment for early risk identification.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Echocardiography
- Heart Failure Research
Background:
- Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction contributes significantly to heart failure morbidity and mortality.
- Early identification is crucial but challenging due to its definition (normal ejection fraction) and evolving diagnostic methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a practical review of diastolic dysfunction's etiology, prevalence, and mortality.
- To explain how pathophysiology translates into echocardiographic measurements for severity assessment.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on diastolic dysfunction.
- Characterization of echocardiographic parameters (2D, pulsed-wave, tissue Doppler) for assessing left ventricular filling hemodynamics.
Main Results:
- Diastolic dysfunction is a significant risk factor for heart failure.
- Evolving echocardiographic techniques allow for more accurate assessment of diastolic dysfunction severity.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the causes and echocardiographic assessment of diastolic dysfunction is vital for identifying at-risk individuals.
- Improved echocardiographic interpretation can aid in predicting imminent morbidity and mortality.
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