Abstract
IntroductionSymptomatic heart disease may be present in patients with advanced-stage acromegaly. However, earlier assessment of subclinical ventricular systolic dysfunction can be accomplished through speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) for the study of myocardial strain. The few such studies in this population to date have produced conflicting results. This study was performed to evaluate the parameters of ventricular strain in patients with acromegaly with no cardiac symptoms.MethodsIn this prospective observational study, STE was performed in patients with active acromegaly with no detectable heart disease and in a control group to assess ventricular dysfunction through global longitudinal strain (GLS), radial strain, circumferential strain, and twist. The left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, LV mass index, and relative wall thickness were also compared between the groups.ResultsTwenty-five patients with active acromegaly (median age, 49 years; median disease duration, 11 years) and 44 controls were included. LV hypertrophy was more prevalent in the acromegaly group (40% vs. 19%, p < 0.01). The LV ejection fraction was similar between the groups (65.2% ± 5.99% vs. 62.9% ± 7.41%). The mean GLS (−18.8 ± 2.49 vs. −19.7 ± 3.29, p = 0.24), circumferential strain (−16.7 ± 3.18 vs. −16.6 ± 3.42, p = 0.90), and twist (14.6 ± 5.02 vs. 15.1 ± 3.94, p = 0.60) were not significantly different between the groups.ConclusionDespite showing higher rates of LV hypertrophy, patients with long-term acromegaly had no impairment of ventricular contractility as assessed by strain echocardiography when compared with a control group.
Highlights
Symptomatic heart disease may be present in patients with advancedstage acromegaly
Is a rare disease characterized by growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor type 1 (IGF-1) hypersecretion, and it is usually caused by a GH-producing pituitary adenoma [1]
Can cause a typical cardiomyopathy characterized by concentric biventricular hypertrophy that is associated with impaired diastolic function, which can progress to systolic heart failure [5]
Summary
Symptomatic heart disease may be present in patients with advancedstage acromegaly. Earlier assessment of subclinical ventricular systolic dysfunction can be accomplished through speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) for the study of myocardial strain. The few such studies in this population to date have produced conflicting results. This study was performed to evaluate the parameters of ventricular strain in patients with acromegaly with no cardiac symptoms
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