title: Prevalence and correlates of echocardiographic left atrial enlargement in hypertensive outpatients in clinical practice.
abstract: Prevalence of left atrial enlargement (LAE) in hypertension has been mostly assessed in population-based samples and selected hypertensive groups. A few data are available in clinical practice. We examined LAE prevalence and severity in a cohort of hypertensive patients referred by general practitioners to a routine echocardiographic examination. A total of 2170 hypertensive individuals (mean age 62 years, 53% men) referred by practitioners to 17 outpatient echocardiographic laboratories across Italy for detection of hypertensive cardiac disease were included in the study. LAE was defined as: A) absolute LA diameter >4.0 cm in men and >3.8 cm in women; B) LA diameter normalized to body surface area (BSA) >2.3 cm/m(2) in both sexes. Left atrial enlargement was graded as mild, moderate, and severe according to Lang's report. Patients with LAE were 38% by criterion A, and 20% by criterion B. A moderate/severe increase in LA size was present in 34% (A) and 32% (B) of patients with LAE. Severe LAE was 3.3-fold (A) and 2.6-fold (B) more frequent in women than in men. Left ventricular mass was the strongest correlate of absolute LA diameter as well as of normalized LA diameter, after age. Left atrial enlargement defined either by absolute or normalized LA diameter is a frequent cardiac phenotype in hypertensive patients referred to echo-labs in clinical practice. This cardiac parameter is closely related to LV mass and its severity is highly prevalent in women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Prevention, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy. cesare.cuspidi@unimib.it
authors.forename: Cesare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cuspidi
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lonati
authors.forename: Maria Lorenza
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Muiesan
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capra
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milan
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.forename: Gian Battista
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Danzi
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Longo
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morganti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors