title: Left ventricular diastolic function in systemic sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess left ventricular diastolic function in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and to verify if a "primary" diastolic dysfunction might exist.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total 124 patients and 41 healthy subjects underwent complete echocardiographic examination. The following pulsed wave Doppler variables were evaluated: peak velocity during early filling (E), peak velocity during late atrial filling (A), E/A ratio, and early filling deceleration time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-seven patients (62.1%) had conditions potentially affecting left ventricular diastolic function (Group A) and 47 patients (37.9%) formed a homogeneous group without cardiac involvement or other causes of abnormal diastolic function (i.e., systemic and/or pulmonary hypertension, ventricular hypertrophy, pericardial disease, systolic dysfunction, valvular heart disease, coronary artery disease) (Group B). The entire SSc population and Group A showed significant differences in the Doppler variables of diastolic function compared to the control group. No significant differences were found between Group B and controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with SSc, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was found only in patients with conditions potentially affecting left ventricular diastolic function. In patients without conditions potentially affecting left ventricular diastolic function no differences were seen in comparison with controls. SSc does not seem to cause "primary" diastolic abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Clinica Medica I, Università La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aguglia
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sgreccia
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bernardo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carmenini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giusti De Marle
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reali
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003971:Diastole; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left