Cardiovascular risk factors and systolic and diastolic cardiac function: a tissue Doppler and speckle tracking...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Cardiovascular Health
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• Assessing cardiac function in low-risk populations is crucial for early detection of cardiovascular disease.
• Understanding the impact of conventional risk factors on subclinical cardiac dysfunction is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between blood pressure, BMI, serum lipids, glucose, and renal function with left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular function.
• To identify early predictors of cardiac dysfunction in a population free from diagnosed cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multiple linear regression analysis on a random sample of 1,266 individuals.
• Employed conventional echocardiography, speckle-tracking, and tissue Doppler methods to assess cardiac function.
• Included individuals without hypertension, diabetes, or known cardiovascular disease.

Main Results:

• Higher BMI, blood pressure, and non-HDL cholesterol were linked to reduced LV function and impaired diastolic mitral annular velocity.
• Older age, higher BMI, diastolic blood pressure, and non-HDL cholesterol were associated with reduced right ventricular function.
• Higher HDL cholesterol was associated with better LV function, while smoking negatively impacted LV function in women.

Conclusions:

• Conventional risk factors can predict cardiac function decline years before clinical manifestation of disease.
• J-shaped associations for diastolic blood pressure and BMI suggest that unusually low levels may indicate underlying, undiagnosed conditions.
• Early identification of these associations can inform preventive strategies and risk stratification for cardiovascular health.