title: Left ventricular geometry and all-cause mortality in advanced age.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Abnormalities of cardiac structure and function are common in a wide range of populations including those with and without established clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study reports the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), the four patterns of LV geometry and establishes clinical characteristics and five-year outcomes of each group in people of advanced age.
  
  
  METHODS
  A study conducted in general practices and Māori Health Services in three New Zealand North Island locations. One hundred participants had a full clinical echocardiogram performed and analysed in 2008 by one experienced cardiologist blinded to the participant's clinical history.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two-thirds of the participants had CVD. Thirty-two participants had echocardiographic LVH. Those with LVH had higher left atrial area [median (IQR) 26.4cm(2) (10.9) vs. 22.0cm(2) (7.0), p<0.01] and E/e' [median (IQR) 13 (6.8) vs.10.8 (4.1), p=0.01] than those without LVH. Of those with LVH, 10 demonstrated concentric hypertrophy (CH) and 22 eccentric hypertrophy (EH); 12 concentric remodelling (CR) and 40 normal geometry (NG). Both CR and EH were independently associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality (p<0.01) and hospital admissions (p<0.05) than those with NG. Those with EH also had a higher risk of CVD events (p=0.029).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite a high prevalence of CVD and hypertension in this sample, half had normal LV geometry. Concentric remodelling and eccentric hypertrophy were associated with higher mortality and adverse CVD outcomes in people of advanced age.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Auckland. Electronic address: r.teh@auckland.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Ruth O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Teh
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Auckland.
authors.forename: Ngaire
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: M Kerse
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Auckland.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: M Robinson
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Social and Health Sciences, Unitec Institute of Technology.
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: A Whalley
authors.affiliation: Freemasons' Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Auckland.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: J Connolly
authors.affiliation: Dept of Medicine and National Institute for Health Innovation, University of Auckland.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: N Doughty
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Aged; Cardiovascular diseases; Left ventricular hypertrophy; Mortality; Ventricular remodelling