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Cutoff value for hypertrophic heart weight in the Japanese population

Yu Kakimoto1, Kumiko Asakura2, Motoki Osawa3

  • 1Department of Forensic Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan; Tokyo Medical Examiner's Office, Tokyo, Japan.

Legal Medicine (Tokyo, Japan)
|December 28, 2020
PubMed

Insights

This study establishes practical cutoff values for hypertrophic heart weight to aid in the postmortem diagnosis of cardiovascular death (CVD). These criteria are more effective in men and provide a useful tool for autopsy reports.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Pathology
  • Cardiovascular Pathology
  • Biostatistics

Background:

  • Cardiac hypertrophy is a risk factor for cardiovascular death (CVD).
  • Current autopsy diagnostic criteria for cardiac hypertrophy are not well-established.
  • This study aimed to establish reliable postmortem diagnostic criteria for CVD using heart weight.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine cutoff values for heart weight and heart weight/body height ratio for diagnosing cardiovascular death (CVD) in autopsy.
  • To evaluate the predictive power of heart weight for CVD compared to body mass index.
  • To provide practical criteria for hypertrophic heart weight in autopsy reports.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of autopsy data from 3534 individuals (aged 0-101 years).
  • Linear regression to assess heart weight changes with age.
  • Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to determine cutoff values for heart weight and heart weight/body height ratio.
  • Logistic regression analysis to compare predictive power of heart weight versus BMI for CVD.

Main Results:

  • Heart weight stabilizes after age 20.
  • Mean heart weight in CVD cases: 473g (men), 379g (women); non-CVD cases: 385g (men), 320g (women).
  • ROC analysis identified cutoff values: heart weight 407g (men), 327g (women); heart weight/height 2.38 g/cm (men), 2.15 g/cm (women).
  • Heart weight was a more effective predictor of CVD than BMI in both sexes, particularly in men.

Conclusions:

  • Established cutoff values for hypertrophic heart weight are practical and useful for postmortem diagnosis of CVD.
  • These criteria can enhance the accuracy and consistency of autopsy reports.
  • This study provides the first specific cutoff values for hypertrophic heart weight in the Japanese population.
Abstract

Keywords:
AutopsyCardiac hypertrophyCardiovascular diseaseHeart weightLogistic regression analysisReceiver-operating curve analysis

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