Neuromuscular comorbidity, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation as prognostic factors in left ventricular...

There is some controversy concerning the prognosis of patients with left ventricular hypertrabeculation/noncompaction (LVHT). LVHT is frequently associated with neuromuscular disorders (NMDs). The aim of this study was to assess cardiac and neurological findings as predictors of mortality in patients with LVHT.

The study included patients with LVHT diagnosed between June 1995 and January 2014 in one echocardiographic laboratory. They underwent a baseline cardiologic examination and were invited for a neurological examination. Between January and February 2014, their survival status was assessed.

LVHT was diagnosed in 220 patients (68 female, aged 52 ± 17 years) with a prevalence of 0.35 %/year. During a follow-up of 72 ± 61 months, 65 patients died. The mortality was 5 %/year. A neurological investigation was performed on 173 patients (79 %) and revealed specific NMDs in 31 (14 %), NMD of unknown etiology in 103 (47 %), and normal findings in 39 (18 %) patients. In multivariate analysis, the predictors of mortality were increased age (p = 0.0001), presence of a specific NMD (p = 0.0062) or NMD of unknown etiology (p = 0.0062), heart failure NYHA III (p = 0.0396), atrial fibrillation (p = 0.0022), and sinus tachycardia (p = 0.0395).

LVHT patients should undergo systematic neurological examinations. Whether an optimal therapy of heart failure and atrial fibrillation will improve the prognosis of LVHT patients needs to be addressed in further studies.