Tracking of left ventricular mass in children: race and sex comparisons: the MCV Twin Study. Medical College of Virginia.
BACKGROUND
Increased left ventricular (LV) mass is a predictor of cardiovascular disease in adults. The mechanism(s) for these observations are not fully understood.


RESULTS
We repeatedly studied a biracial sample of children from ages 11 through 17 years. At visits 1 through 5, height, weight, and pubertal stage were determined. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured. M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiograms were performed with a 3.5-MHz transducer with the subject in the supine position. LV mass was calculated. Repeated-measures analysis using a mixed modeling approach was performed for LV mass. At all ages, boys had greater LV mass than girls. For the population as a whole, we found significant tracking correlations for LV mass between each interval of measurement and throughout the entire period of examination. The tracking correlation for the entire sample from visit 1 through visit 5 was r=.41. The LV mass in white children tracked from the youngest to the oldest. Black children tracked similarly from ages 1 to 15 years, but tracking was not significant across the widest interval, visit 1 through visit 5. Racial differences were found in the interactions of systolic blood pressure and heart rate, which magnified the differences in LV mass. During adolescence, LV mass tracks significantly in both black and white children.


CONCLUSIONS
Interactive effects such as weight, blood pressure, and heart rate magnify sex and race differences in LV mass.
Schieken
R M
RM
Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298-0026, USA. schieken@gems.vcu.edu
Schwartz
P F
PF
Goble
M M
MM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044383:Black People; D001824:Body Constitution; D001835:Body Weight; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003971:Diastole; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D009929:Organ Size; D011627:Puberty; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013599:Systole; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*; D014768:Virginia; D044465:White People; D001741:Black or African American