Ethnicity-related differences in left ventricular function, structure and geometry: a population study of UK Indian Asian and European white subjects.
OBJECTIVE
The authors studied healthy UK Indian Asian and European white subjects to assess whether functional, structural and geometrical properties of the left heart are intrinsically related to ethnicity.


BACKGROUND
Quantitative assessment of cardiac function and structure is necessary to diagnose heart failure syndromes and is validated to refine risk prediction. A better understanding of the demographic factors that influence these variables is required.


METHODS
458 healthy subjects were recruited from the London Life Sciences Prospective Population (LOLIPOP) study. They underwent 2-D and tissue Doppler echocardiography for quantification of left ventricular (LV) function, LV volumes, left atrial volume index (LAVI), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and relative wall thickness (RWT).


RESULTS
Indian Asians had attenuated mitral annular systolic velocity (8.9 cm/s vs 9.5 cm/s, p<0.001), lower mitral annular early diastolic velocity (10.3 cm/s vs 11.0 cm/s, p<0.001) and higher E/Ea ratio (7.9 vs 7.0, p<0.001) compared to European white subjects. Although Indian Asians had significantly smaller left heart volumes and LVMI, they had a significantly higher RWT (0.37 vs 0.35, p<0.001). After adjustment for covariates, these ethnicity-related differences remained highly significant (p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Compared to European white people, Indian Asians had attenuated longitudinal LV function, higher LV filling pressure and demonstrated a greater degree of concentric remodelling independent of other demographic and clinical parameters.
Chahal
Navtej S
NS
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Northwick Park Hospital, Watford Road, Harrow HA1 3UJ, UK.
Lim
Tiong K
TK
Jain
Piyush
P
Chambers
John C
JC
Kooner
Jaspal S
JS
Senior
Roxy
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*