The characteristics of left ventricular filling in a mild grade of physiological and pathological hypertrophy. A Doppler echocardiographic study

The aim of this study was to evaluate diastolic function in athletes and in young borderline hypertensives with mild left ventricular hypertrophy. To compare the effects on left ventricular filling of these two conditions we studied 15 borderline hypertensives (age 21 +/- 3 yrs, left ventricular mass index 137 +/- 9 g/m2), 18 soccer players (age 22 +/- 4 yrs, left ventricular mass index 136 +/- 12 g/m2) and 20 normotensive subjects (age 22 +/- 4 yrs, left ventricular mass index 94 +/- 10 g/m2) using the echo-Doppler technique. Left ventricular mass (LVM) was calculated with Devereux's formula. The criterion for left ventricular hypertrophy was left ventricular mass index greater than or equal to 120 g/m2. The following parameters of left ventricular filling were evaluated by Doppler transmitral flow analysis: the early (E) and late (A) peak velocity, the ratio E/A, the integral of early (Ei) and late (Ai) diastolic velocity. We concluded that the left ventricular filling profile was similar in borderline hypertensives, in athletes and in normotrophic subjects. These findings suggest that at least in its early stages, mild cardiac hypertrophy secondary to pathological stimulus is characterized by indices of diastolic function which are no different to those found in athletes with physiological hypertrophy.