Left ventricular geometry and arterial function in hypercholesterolemia.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of hypercholesterolemia on total arterial compliance and left ventricular (LV) geometry in the absence of arterial hypertension and diabetes.


METHODS
One hundred and fifty-two normotensive, non-diabetic patients (109 men) aged 52 +/- 10 years with plasma cholesterol > 240 mg/100 mL, and 282 normotensive controls (154 men) aged 42 +/- 10 years (p < 0.0001) with plasma cholesterol < 200 mg/100 mL were studied by means of echocardiography. The stroke volume/pulse pressure ratio as a percentage of the value predicted by individual age, body weight and heart rate was used as a prognostically-validated index of total arterial compliance. Central pulse pressure (PP) was estimated using a regression equation obtained in a non-overlapping population.


RESULTS
Although within the "normal" range, systolic pressure, PP and estimated central PP were higher in the hypercholesterolemic patients even after controlling for differences in age, body mass index (BMI) and race (all p < 0.0001). After controlling for differences in systolic pressure, age, BMI and race, LV mass and the prevalence of hypertrophy were comparable between the two groups, whereas relative diastolic wall thickness was greater (0.36 + 0.06 vs 0.33 + 0.05) and percent SV/PP (stroke volume/PP) lower in the hypercholesterolemic patients (96 +/- 19% vs 102 +/- 18%; both p < 0.005). After considering the covariates, there was still an independent negative correlation between relative wall thickness and percent SV/PP (r = -0.37, p < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Hypercholesterolemia in normotensive non-diabetic adults is independently associated with a mildly concentric LV geometry and a reduced index of total arterial compliance.
Celentano
A
A
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Federico II University Hospital, School of Medicine, Naples, Italy. alcelent@unina.it
Crivaro
M
M
Roman
M J
MJ
Pietropaolo
I
I
Greco
R
R
Pauciullo
P
P
Lirato
C
C
Devereux
R B
RB
de Simone
G
G
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D003187:Compliance; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013318:Stroke Volume; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D016276:Ventricular Function; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology
D002784:Cholesterol