Left ventricular structure and systolic function in African Americans: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate prevalence of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and its relation to systolic function in a population-based sample of African Americans.


METHODS
A baseline 2D guided M-mode echocardiogram was conducted as part of a longitudinal cohort study to assess prevalence and cross-sectional relationships between echocardiographic and clinical parameters.


METHODS
Data were collected as part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.


METHODS
Analysis is limited to 1543 African Americans, aged 51-70 years, without clinically apparent cardiovascular or echocardiographically determined valvular disease.


METHODS
LV hypertrophy prevalence was defined as LV mass/ height2.7 > or = 51 g/m2.7. LV systolic chamber function was assessed at the midwall using the ratio of observed midwall fractional shortening (MWS%) to the value predicted from circumferential end-systolic stress.


RESULTS
The prevalence of LV hypertrophy was 33% in men, 38% in women. The prevalence of concentric hypertrophy (LV hypertrophy with relative wall thickness > or = 0.45) was greater than that of eccentric hypertrophy (men: 24% vs 9%; women: 27% vs 11% women). Observed/predicted (O/P) MWS% was strongly and inversely related to LV mass/ height2.7 (P<.001) and LV hypertrophy (P<.001). The O/P MWS% was inversely related to LV mass/height2.7 quartile: O/P MWS% was 106% and 99% in the first and 97% and 89% in the fourth quartile of LV mass/height2.7 for men and women, respectively. Adjusting for age, adiposity, diabetes, blood pressure, antihypertensive medication use, and smoking did not remove association between O/P MWS% and LV mass/height2.7.


CONCLUSIONS
LV hypertrophy was highly prevalent in this population-based middle-aged sample of African Americans and was associated with poorer LV systolic chamber function.
Nkomo
Vuyisile T
VT
University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55454-1015, USA.
Arnett
Donna K
DK
Benjamin
Emelia J
EJ
Liebson
Philip R
PR
Hutchinson
Richard G
RG
Skelton
Thomas N
TN
D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013599:Systole; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left