Left ventricular mass index and diastolic filling. Relation to blood pressure and demographic variables in a healthy biracial sample

Abstract

The relationships of left ventricular (LV) structure and diastolic filling to ambulatory blood pressure, race, age, and gender were studied in 104 young, generally healthy, untreated subjects with normal or marginally elevated blood pressure. Average daytime systolic blood pressure (r = 0.41, P less than .001), diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.38, P less than .001), male gender (r = 0.49, P less than .001), and age (r = 0.32, P less than .001) were univariate correlates of LV mass index as measured by M-mode echocardiography. In a stepwise multiple regression model, male gender, age, and systolic blood pressure were independent predictors of LV mass index. LV filling rate normalized to mitral stroke volume, a Doppler-derived index of diastolic filling, was inversely related to age (r = -0.47, P less than .001), heart rate (r = -0.27, P less than .01), LV mass index (r = -0.32, P less than .001), and diastolic blood pressure (r = -0.20, P less than .05). Age, heart rate, and LV mass index were predictors of normalized peak filling in a stepwise regression model. Race was not significantly related to either LV mass index or diastolic filling. Our results confirm the importance of demographic variables as well as blood pressure in determining LV mass and filling characteristics in humans prior to the development of sustained essential hypertension. These variables contribute to ventricular mass and diastolic function in varying degrees. Gender is strongly correlated with LV mass, but not with filling indices.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)