Left ventricular mass in patients with heart failure.
OBJECTIVE
To assess left ventricular mass in patients with heart failure and its correlations with other clinical variables and prognosis.


METHODS
The study comprised 587 patients aged from 13.8 years to 68.9 years, 461 (78.5%) being males and 126 (21.5%) females. Left ventricular mass was estimated by using M-mode echocardiography and was indexed by height.


RESULTS
The left ventricular mass index ranged from 35.3 g/m to 333.5 g/m and increased with age. The left ventricular mass index was greater in males (mean, 175.7 g/m) than in females (mean, 165.7 g/m). The left ventricular mass index was greater in patients with hypertensive cardiomyopathy (mean of 188.1 g/m), with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (mean, 177.7 g/m) and with cardiomyopathies of other etiologies (mean, 175.1 g/m) than in patients with chagasic (mean, 164.3 g/m) or ischemic (mean, 162 g/m) cardiomyopathy. The left ventricular mass index in patients with heart failure showed a correlation with age, sex, etiology, and left atrial diameter. The correlation with left ventricular ejection fraction was negative: the increase in the left ventricular mass index was associated with a reduction in ejection fraction. The relative risk of death was 1.22 for each 50-g/m increase in the left ventricular mass index.


CONCLUSIONS
The estimate of left ventricular mass may contribute to the prognostic assessment of patients with heart failure.
Markus
Marcello Ricardo Paulista
MR
Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. marcellomarkus@incor.usp.br
Freitas
Humberto Felício Gonçalves de
HF
Chizzola
Paulo Roberto
PR
Silva
Gisela Tunes da
GT
Lima
Antonio Carlos Pedroso de
AC
Mansur
Alfredo José
AJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D004452:Echocardiography; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012737:Sex Factors