title: The effects of undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies report that cardiovascular mortality is more common in patients with spondyloarthropathy (SpA) compared with the normal population. In this study, we aimed to determine left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions using tissue Doppler echocardiography (TDE) in addition to conventional methods in undifferentiated SpA (uSpA) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 45 patients and 44 age and sex matched healthy controls participated in the present study. Left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions were assessed with two dimensional (2D) echocardiography, M-mode echocardiography, pulsed-wave (PW) echocardiography and tissue Doppler echocardiography. The peak systolic velocity (Sm), early diastolic myocardial peak velocity (Em), and late diastolic myocardial peak velocity (Am), myocardial isovolumetric contraction time (IVCTm), myocardial ejection time (ETm), myocardial isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRTm) and myocardial performance index (MPI) were measured at septal and lateral mitral annulus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Left ventricular diastolic inflow velocities showed that isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT) and deceleration time (DT) were significantly longer in the uSpA group. Left ventricular lateral wall PW tissue Doppler echocardiography showed that Em was significantly lower in uSpA group. Septal PW tissue Doppler echocardiography showed that Em was lower and IVRT was longer in the uSpA group compared with healthy controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study we determined that left ventricular systolic function is preserved in patients with uSpA. Although frequency of diastolic dysfunction was similar in both groups, deterioration of some diastolic parameters in the uSpA group might be considered for possible cardiac involvement in patients with uSpA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Ataturk Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Neslihan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Albayrak
authors.forename: Nihal A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Bayram
authors.forename: Sukran
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erten
authors.forename: Cenk
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sari
authors.forename: Telat
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Keles
authors.forename: Tahir
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Durmaz
authors.forename: Serdal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bastug
authors.forename: Engin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bozkurt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003971:Diastole; D018619:Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D025242:Spondylarthropathies / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013599:Systole; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left