Related Experiment Videos
Left ventricular diastolic function in young men with high normal blood pressure
E Escudero1, S De Lena, S Graff-Iversen
1Centra de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina.
Insights
Young men with high normal blood pressure show altered left ventricular filling patterns, indicating potential early relaxation impairment. This shift to late diastolic filling may precede hypertension.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Physiology
- Hypertension Research
Background:
- Abnormal left ventricular (LV) diastolic filling is observed in hypertensive individuals.
- Understanding early changes in LV diastolic function is crucial for hypertension prediction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare left ventricular (LV) diastolic filling between young men with high normal blood pressure (HNBP) and optimal blood pressure (OBP).
Main Methods:
- Selected 2 groups of young men (age 21): Group A (OBP) and Group B (HNBP).
- Assessed anthropometrics, LV structure, and systolic/diastolic function using echocardiography.
- Compared habits, body mass index, and LV mass index (LVMI).
Main Results:
- Higher LVMI in HNBP group, though not indicative of hypertrophy.
- Altered LV diastolic filling pattern in HNBP group, with reduced peak late diastolic flow velocity (A) and E:A ratio.
- HNBP group showed a shift towards more prominent late diastolic filling.
Conclusions:
- Young men with HNBP exhibit an early shift in LV filling, favoring atrial contraction.
- This pattern may indicate impaired LV relaxation, an early sign preceding hypertension.
- LV filling changes were independent of inheritance, age, sex, heart rate, habits, or BMI.
Objective:
Abnormalities in left ventricular (LV) diastolic filling have been reported in hypertensive patients. This study was designed to compare LV diastolic filling between individuals with high normal blood pressure (HNBP) and optimal blood pressure (OBP).
Subjects And Design:
From a survey of 219 young male individuals (age 21 +/- 0.1 years), two groups were selected according to their BP (group A: systolic BP [SBP] 120 mmHg and diastolic BP [DBP] 80 mmHg, n = 23 and group B: SBP 130 to 139 mmHg and/or DBP 85 to 89 mmHg, n = 21). Subjects habits, anthropometric characteristics, LV structure and systolic and diastolic function were compared.
Results:
No differences were detected between the two groups in habits, systolic function or early diastole. LV mass index (LVMI) was higher in group B (103.6 +/- 4.58 g/m2 versus 90.49 +/- 3.27 g/m2 in group A, P < 0.05), though the values were not high enough to indicate LV hypertrophy. The pattern of LV late filling was different between the two groups. The peak late diastolic flow velocity (A) was 0.45 +/- 0.02 m/s in group B and 0.52 +/- 0.03 m/s in group A (P < 0.05). The early peak velocity (E):A ratio was 1.82 +/- 0.08 in group A and 1.59 +/- 0.08 in group B (P < 0.05). The early filling fraction also demonstrated a significant shift to more prominent late diastolic filling in group B (0.68 +/- 0.01% versus 0.73 +/- 0.01% in group A, P < 0.05). This pattern in LV filling did not correlate to inheritance, age, sex, heart rate, habits or body mass index.
Conclusions:
This shift in filling pattern to a late flow in young men with HNBP seemed to be an early indicator of an increased dependence of LV filling on atrial contraction and may reflect an impairment in LV relaxation.