title: Relationship between lipids levels and right ventricular volume overload in congestive heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The relationship between lipids and coronary artery disease has been well established. However, this is not the case between lipids and heart failure. Ironically, high lipid levels are associated with better outcomes in heart failure, but the mechanisms underlying the phenomenon are not fully understood. This study was performed to test the hypothesis that reduced intestinal lipid absorption due to venous congestion may lead to low lipid levels.
  
  
  METHODS
  We collected data of clinical characteristics, echocardiograph, and lipid profile in 442 unselected patients with congestive heart failure. Correlations between lipid levels [including total cholesterol (TCL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG)] and right ventricle end diastolic diameter (RVEDD), left ventricle end diastolic diameter (LVEDD), right atrium diameter (RA), left atrium diameter (LA), or left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) were analyzed using Pearson correlation and partial correlation. RVEDD, LVEDD, RA, and LA were indexed to the body surface area.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significantly inverse correlation between TCL levels and RVEDD (r = -0.34, P < 0.001) and RA (r = -0.36, P < 0.001). Other lipids such as LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG had a similar inverse correlation with RVEDD and RA. All these correlations remained unchanged after adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, physical activity levels, comorbidities, and medication use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lipid levels were inversely correlated to RVEDD in patients with congestive heart failure; however, because this was an observational study, further investigation is needed to verify our results as well as identify a causal relationship, if any.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Qing-Zhen
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Zhi
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Le
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Li-Shuang
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Guo-Ping
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhen-Guo
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Kun-Shen
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Heart Center, First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei Medical University, No. 89 Donggang Road, Shijiazhuang 050032, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
keywords: Correlation analysis; Heart failure; Lipid levels; Right ventricle; Volume overload