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Association between left atrial stiffness and aortic plaque thickness in hypertensive patients with stroke

Ragab A Mahfouz1, Islam Galal1, Mohamed S Ghareb1

  • 1Cardiology Department, Zagazig University Hospital, Zagazig, Egypt.

Echocardiography (Mount Kisco, N.Y.)
|April 11, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Increased left atrial stiffness (LASt) is strongly linked to thicker aortic plaque in hypertensive stroke patients. This finding highlights LASt

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Vascular Medicine
  • Hypertension Research

Background:

  • Hypertension is a major risk factor for stroke and cardiovascular diseases.
  • Left atrial stiffness (LASt) and thoracic aortic plaque are potential indicators of cardiovascular risk.
  • The relationship between LASt and aortic plaque thickness in hypertensive patients with stroke requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between left atrial stiffness (LASt) and thoracic aortic plaque thickness.
  • To determine if LASt is an independent predictor of significant aortic plaque in hypertensive patients with stroke.

Main Methods:

  • 97 hypertensive patients (56 with stroke, 41 without) were studied.
  • Left atrial strain and stiffness were measured using speckle tracking echocardiography.
  • Thoracic aortic plaque was assessed using transesophageal echocardiography.

Main Results:

  • Hypertensive patients with stroke exhibited significantly higher LASt compared to those without stroke.
  • A significantly higher proportion of patients with stroke had aortic plaque thickness ≥4 mm (71.4% vs 4.9%).
  • LASt was identified as the strongest independent predictor of ≥4 mm aortic plaque thickness (HR=6.153, P<.001).

Conclusions:

  • Left atrial stiffness is significantly associated with thicker aortic plaque (≥4 mm) in hypertensive patients who have experienced a stroke.
  • LASt plays a crucial role in the risk stratification of hypertensive patients.
  • A LASt cutoff value of >0.63 effectively predicts significant aortic plaque thickness.
Abstract

Keywords:
aortic plaquehypertensionleft atrial stiffnessstroke

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