Abstract P535: Correlates of Cardiac Structure and Function in African-Ancestry Adults in the Caribbean: The Tobago Heart Study

Abstract

Introduction: The population of Tobago is a unique African-ancestry population with a high prevalence of chronic disease, including hypertension and obesity. These conditions are associated with abnormalities in cardiac structure and function that confer an increased risk of heart failure. However, the distribution and correlates of these abnormalities have not been described in Tobagonian women, or any Afro-Caribbean population. Hypothesis: Abnormalities in cardiac structure and function will correlate with BMI and blood pressure. Methods: Participants from the Tobago Women’s Study aged 45+ were recruited for the Tobago Heart Study without regard to health status. Participants underwent transthoracic echocardiography, a health history, clinical examination, and blood draw. Hypertension was defined by blood pressure measures or prescription of relevant medication. The eventual recruitment goal is 900 men and women; the current analysis is a preliminary assessment of 376 women with data currently available. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics and Spearman correlations. Results: The mean age of the study sample was 60.8 years (range 46-79). The prevalence of hypertension and obesity were 76.2% and 60.1%, respectively. Abnormalities in cardiac structure were detected in 77.5% of participants (of these, 87.9% concentric remodeling, 9.4% concentric hypertrophy, 2.7% eccentric hypertrophy). Diastolic dysfunction was present in 13.6% of participants (of these, 83.7% grade I, 14.3% grade II, and 2.0% grade III dysfunction); cardiomyopathy was found in 1.9%. Results of Spearman correlations are shown in Table 1. Conclusion: In a population of Tobagonian women, a low prevalence of diastolic dysfunction was observed despite highly prevalent abnormal left ventricle geometry. Blood pressure and BMI are important correlates of cardiac structure and function in this understudied population. In future analyses these results will be updated with greater sample size and compared to findings in men.