Constantly normal LV geometry linked to optimal SBP, BMI, blood glucose

Persistence of normal left ventricular (LV) geometry is indicative of normal or optimal systolic blood pressure (SBP), body mass index (BMI), and blood glucose, suggests a study.

A total of 433 participants who attended the second and third survey of the Pressioni Arteriose Monitorate e Loro Associazioni study performed after 10 and 25 years from the initial evaluation were included in this analysis. The authors obtained data on medical history, anthropometric parameters, office, home, ambulatory BP, routine blood examinations, and echocardiography.

Of the participants, 167 demonstrated persistently normal LV mass and LV geometry pattern during the 25-year follow-up, while 266 showed LV hypertrophy or LV concentric remodeling at any point during the study.

Individuals exhibiting persistently normal LV mass index and geometry were younger (–8 years) and more frequently female (63 percent vs 45 percent), exhibited baseline (and follow-up) lower office and out-of-office BP, BMI, serum creatinine, fasting blood glucose, total serum cholesterol, and rate of antihypertensive treatment than those developing, maintaining, or regressing from LV hypertrophy and LV concentric remodeling.

Furthermore, multivariate regression analysis revealed the following factors to be independently associated with persistent normal LV mass index and geometry: age (odds ratio [OR], 0.93, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.91–0.96; p<0.0001), BMI (OR, 0.90, 95 percent CI, 0.83–0.97; p=0.008), office SBP (OR, 0.97, 95 percent CI, 0.96–0.99; p=0.005), and fasting blood glucose (OR, 0.96, 95 percent CI, 0.93–0.99; p=0.007).

“Thus, a closer control of these risk factors in midlife may increase the likelihood of maintaining normal ventricular geometry and, in turn, reduce the burden of subclinical cardiac organ damage and related complications in advanced age,” the authors said.