title: Early impairment of left ventricular function in hypercholesterolemia and its reversibility after short term treatment with rosuvastatin A preliminary echocardiographic study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hypercholesterolemia contributes to coronary heart disease but little is known about its direct effect on myocardial function. We evaluated left ventricular function using echocardiography and the effect of treatment with rosuvastatin in a group of patients with primary hypercholesterolemia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-three patients with primary hypercholesterolemia (HC) and without evidence of coronary heart disease and 25 aged matched healthy volunteers (C) were submitted to conventional echocardiography, pulsed wave tissue Doppler imaging (PWTDI), color Doppler myocardial imaging (CDMI) and integrated backscatter (IBS). Echocardiographic evaluation was repeated after 6 months of treatment with rosuvastatin (10mg/day) in 17 patients. Compared with C, patients with HC showed lower E/A ratio (p<0.0001) and higher Tei index mit (p<0.0001), as well as lower PW TDI E/A both at septum (p<0.0001) and at lateral level (p<0.0001) and higher modified Tei index both at septal annulus (p<0.0001) and lateral annulus (p<0.0001). Integrated backscatter parameters were significantly reduced in patients with HC (CVIsept p<0.0001 and CVI post wall p<0.05). CDMI derived indices in the two groups were not different. After 6 months of Rosuvastatin treatment a significant reduction of LDL cholesterol levels (51%, p<0.0001) was registered in HC patients together with a significant improvement of longitudinal global systolic and diastolic function (Tei index) and myocardial intrinsic contractility (CVI).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that in patients with hypercholesterolemia exists an early cardiomyopathy characterized by systolic and diastolic dysfunction. That could produce a substratum for an "impaired preconditioning". Rosuvastatin seems able to revert systolic abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Thoracic and Vascular Department, University of Pisa, Italy. e.talini@yahoo.it
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Talini
authors.forename: Vitantonio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Bello
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Palagi
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Delle Donne
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Penno
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nardi
authors.forename: Maria Laura
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Canale
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Del Prato
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miccoli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D003720:Densitometry; D003971:Diastole; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D005464:Fluorobenzenes / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013599:Systole; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D005464:Fluorobenzenes; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D011743:Pyrimidines; D013449:Sulfonamides; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium