title: Tricuspid valve regurgitation: prevalence and relationship with different types of heart disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The clinical impact of tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR) is in most cases undetermined.This study aimed at evaluating: (1) the prevalence of TR, (2) the degree of its relationship with several types of heart disease and (3) the association of the routine echocardiographic variables with TR in each cardiac pathology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The database of the University Hospitals of Leuven was searched for all transthoracic echocardiographic studies, performed between November 2010 and January 2011, to reach a target of at least 2000 patients. The study population was divided into predefined categories. Significant TR was defined as graded > 2/4 on colour Doppler. In total 2054 consecutive echocardiographic studies were retrieved. The prevalence of significant TR was 10.2% in the total population, ranging from 1.1% to 34.4%. TR was strongly associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) [OR 35.8 (11.7-110.3; P < 0.001)], valvular heart disease [OR 6.7 (2.3-19.2; P < 0.001)], heart transplantation [OR 10.4 (3.4-31.8; P < 0.001)], non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy [OR 6.2 (1.8-21.3; P = 0.004)], and ischaemic cardiomyopathy [OR 5.6 (1.5-21.8; P = 0.012)]. TR was significantly related to the degree of mitral valve regurgitation (MR) in all categories (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TR occurs frequently and is in a different degree related to the underlying heart disease. TR was also associated to MR. This might suggest valvular interdependence between the tricuspid and mitral valves.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Meester
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van De Bruaene
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Herijgers
authors.forename: Jens-Uwe
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Voigt
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Budts
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014262:Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*