Aging and transmitral flow pattern in patients with systemic hypertension.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Diabetology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Transmitral flow (TMF) pattern analysis is crucial for assessing left ventricular diastolic function.
• In healthy individuals, the early diastolic flow (E wave) exceeds the late diastolic flow (A wave), with the E/A ratio declining with age.
• Accelerated changes in TMF patterns are anticipated in systemic hypertension, but data for Japanese populations are scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the age-related changes in TMF patterns in Japanese patients with systemic hypertension.
• To compare the E/A ratio decline in hypertensive patients versus a healthy control group.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of echocardiographic reports from 553 hypertensive patients (HT group) and 394 controls.
• Patients were categorized by age to compare E/A ratios across different groups.

Main Results:

• The E/A ratio decreased with age in the control group, falling below 1 in the sixth decade.
• In the HT group, the E/A ratio decreased more rapidly, falling below 1 in the fifth decade.

Conclusions:

• Systemic hypertension leads to an approximate 10-year earlier decline in the E/A ratio compared to controls.
• This finding highlights the impact of hypertension on diastolic function progression.