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The relationship between aortic stiffness and left ventricular function in patients with Cushing's disease: aortic

Nihal Akar Bayram1, Reyhan Ersoy, Didem O Sen

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Ankara Ataturk Education and Research Hospital, Bilkent, Ankara, Turkey.

Endocrine
|October 21, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Patients with Cushing's disease (CD) exhibit impaired aortic function and stiffness. These aortic changes correlate with left ventricular dysfunction, suggesting CD patients need aortic stiffness evaluation as an early atherosclerosis marker.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Cushing's disease (CD) is associated with cardiovascular complications.
  • Aortic stiffness is an early indicator of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular risk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate aortic function in patients with newly diagnosed Cushing's disease.
  • To evaluate the relationship between aortic stiffness and left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions in CD patients.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study comparing 15 CD patients with 17 controls.
  • Echocardiography used to measure aortic elastic parameters (strain, distensibility) and left ventricular functions (conventional Doppler, tissue Doppler imaging).

Main Results:

  • Aortic strain and distensibility were significantly reduced in CD patients compared to controls (P < 0.001).
  • CD patients showed impaired left ventricular diastolic function, including lower mitral E velocity, E/A ratio, and Em velocity, with prolonged deceleration time and higher Tei index.
  • Significant correlations were found between aortic elastic parameters and left ventricular parameters assessed by tissue Doppler echocardiography.

Conclusions:

  • Aortic elastic parameters are significantly deranged in patients with Cushing's disease.
  • Aortic stiffness is closely linked to left ventricular dysfunction in CD.
  • Evaluation of aortic stiffness is recommended for CD patients as an early marker for atherosclerosis.

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