Early left atrial dysfunction is associated with suboptimal cardiovascular health

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Echocardiography
• Metabolic Health

Background:

• Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography assesses left atrial (LA) function through volume and deformation parameters.
• Cardiovascular Health (CVH) is crucial for overall well-being.
• Understanding the interplay between CVH, LA function, and systemic biomarkers is vital for early disease detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the association between ideal CVH, LA function, and systemic biomarkers.
• To investigate differences in LA function and metabolic profiles between individuals with low and high CVH.
• To identify early indicators of cardiovascular damage in an asymptomatic population.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of 95 participants from the Chilean MAUCO Cohort.
• Categorization into low (0-2) or high (3-6) CVH risk factor groups.
• Assessment of LA strain (LASs) using 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography, alongside measurements of metabolic markers (glucose, insulin, lipids) and inflammatory markers (hsCRP, proBNP).

Main Results:

• Left atrial strain (LASs) was significantly lower in the low CVH group.
• Higher levels of blood pressure, BMI, insulin, HOMA, total cholesterol, and triglycerides were observed in the low CVH group.
• LASs demonstrated inverse correlations with insulin, HOMA, total cholesterol, glycemia, and BMI.

Conclusions:

• Diminished LA reservoir function is associated with lower CVH.
• Suboptimal CVH, characterized by increased metabolic risk factors and hypertension, is linked to morphofunctional LA alterations.
• LA dysfunction may represent an early stage of cardiovascular damage, particularly in the presence of metabolic syndrome.