Abstract
BackgroundInteractions between the left ventricular (LV) and the arterial system, (ventricular-arterial coupling) are key determinants of cardiovascular function. However, most of studies covered multiple cardiovascular risk factors, which also contributed to the morphological and functional changes of LV. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between arterial stiffness and LV structure and function in healthy women with a low burden of risk factors.MethodsHealthy women from the Twins UK cohort (n = 147, mean age was 54.07 ± 11.90 years) were studied. Arterial stiffness was evaluated by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV). LV structure and function were assessed by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography.Resultscf-PWV was significantly associated with most measures of LV geometry and function, including relative wall thickness (RWT), E/e’ ratio, global circumferential and radial strain, apical rotation and LV twist (each p < 0.05), but bore no relation to global longitudinal strain. After adjustment for age, body mass index, blood pressure and heart rate, cf-PWV was significantly correlated with RWT, global circumferential strain, apical rotation and LV twist (β = 0.011, − 0.484, 1.167 and 1.089, respectively, each p ≤ 0.05).ConclusionsIn healthy women with a low burden of risk factors, elevated arterial stiffness was intimately interwoven with increased LV twisting even before LV dysfunction becomes clinically evident.
Highlights
IntroductionInteractions between the left ventricular (LV) and the arterial system, (ventricular-arterial coupling) are key determinants of cardiovascular function
Interactions between the left ventricular (LV) and the arterial system, are key determinants of cardiovascular function
In the present study we examined the relationship between the arterial stiffness and LV structure, diastolic function, systolic stain and twist by using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in the healthy women with low burden of cardiovascular risk factors from the Twins UK cohort
Summary
Interactions between the left ventricular (LV) and the arterial system, (ventricular-arterial coupling) are key determinants of cardiovascular function. Various associations between arterial stiffness and left ventricular (LV) structure and function have been demonstrated Most of these studies were conducted in subjects with multiple cardiovascular risk factors, such as several echocardiographic studies have shown the relationship between arterial stiffness and LV diastolic dysfunction in healthy populations [1, 3], reports regarding the relationship between arterial stiffness and left ventricular myocardial deformation (stain and twist) in healthy populations are scarce. In the present study we examined the relationship between the arterial stiffness and LV structure, diastolic function, systolic stain and twist by using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in the healthy women with low burden of cardiovascular risk factors from the Twins UK cohort
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