Sex-specific difference in the association between arterial stiffness and subclinical left ventricular dysfunction

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Vascular Biology
• Echocardiography

Background:

• Increased arterial stiffness is a key factor in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
• Subclinical left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and its sex-specific differences in relation to arterial stiffness are not well understood.
• Left ventricular (LV) strain analysis offers a sensitive method for detecting early LV abnormalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between arterial stiffness and subclinical LV dysfunction.
• To explore potential sex-specific differences in this association.
• To determine if arterial stiffness predicts LV dysfunction independent of traditional risk factors.

Main Methods:

• Examined 1155 participants without overt cardiovascular disease.
• Assessed arterial stiffness using cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI).
• Evaluated LV global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) and global circumferential strain (GCS) via speckle-tracking echocardiography.

Main Results:

• Arterial stiffness (CAVI) was associated with abnormal LVGLS, but not LVGCS, independent of risk factors.
• The association between CAVI and abnormal LVGLS was more pronounced in women than in men.
• This independent association persisted in women after adjusting for LV mass and diastolic parameters, but not in men.

Conclusions:

• Increased arterial stiffness is independently linked to reduced LVGLS, even in individuals without overt cardiovascular disease.
• A sex-specific pattern in vascular-ventricular coupling alterations was observed.
• These findings may contribute to understanding the higher susceptibility to HFpEF in women.