This Article Free upon publication Full Text Full Text (PDF) Data Supplement All Versions of this Article: 2/2/93    most recent CIRCIMAGING.108.793190v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Eshoo, S. Articles by Thomas, L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Eshoo, S. Articles by Thomas, L. Related Collections Hypertrophy Clinical Studies Echocardiography Related Article

Original Articles

Impact of Mild Hypertension on Left Atrial Size and Function

Suzanne Eshoo, MD; David L. Ross, MD and Liza Thomas, MD, PhD

From the Westmead Hospital (S.E., D.L.R.), University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; and Liverpool Hospital (L.T.), University of New South Wales, New South Wales, Australia.

Correspondence to Suzanne Eshoo, MD, Department of Cardiology, Westmead Hospital, Darcy Road, Westmead, 2145, New South Wales, Australia. E-mail suzannee{at}westgate.wh.usyd.edu.au

Received May 21, 2008; accepted January 2, 2009.

Background— Left atrial (LA) enlargement has been documented to occur in moderate and severe hypertension.

Methods and Results— One hundred twelve mild hypertension patients were prospectively recruited and compared with 198 healthy volunteers. All recruits had a transthoracic echocardiogram. Maximum LA biplane volume, minimum LA biplane volume, and pre ‘p’-LA biplane volume were measured, and left atrial passive, active emptying, and conduit volumes were calculated at baseline and in a subgroup of patients after 12 months. After adjusting for age, gender, and body mass index, maximum LA biplane volume, pre ‘p’-LA biplane volume, and their indexed volumes were increased in the hypertension group. Active emptying volume and fraction were significantly increased in the hypertension group, with no change in conduit and passive volumes. Subgroup analysis comparing hypertensives with normal/mildly increased left ventricular mass (group 1) with those with moderate/severely increased left ventricular mass (group 2) at baseline demonstrated that maximum LA biplane volume (62.8±17.9 mL versus 45.4±13.7 mL; P<0.001) was significantly increased in group 2. Active emptying volume was also increased.

Conclusion— Even mild hypertension seems to be associated with a reduction in early diastolic filling. This results in augmented late left ventricular diastolic filling due to active atrial contraction and may be the mechanism for the increase in left atrial size.

Key Words: hypertension • left atrium • phasic volumes • diastole • echocardiography

---

 

CLINICAL PERSPECTIVE

The online-only Data Supplement is available at http://circimaging.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.108.793190/DC1.

Related Article

Impact of Mild Hypertension on Left Atrial Size and Function

Suzanne Eshoo, David L. Ross, and Liza Thomas
Circ Cardiovasc Imaging 2009 2: 93-99. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. Tripepi, F. Mattace-Raso, F. Mallamaci, F. A. Benedetto, J. Witteman, L. Malatino, and C. Zoccali Biomarkers of Left Atrial Volume: A Longitudinal Study in Patients With End Stage Renal Disease Hypertension, October 1, 2009; 54(4): 818 - 824. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]