Coexistence of increased arterial stiffness and interatrial block in overweight subjects

PubMed ID: 31707766Background: Interatrial block (IAB) is an electrical conduction delay between the right and left atrium and is associated with some cardiovascular disorders. Arterial stiffness is a useful prognostic marker for cardiovascular events. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the coexistence of increased arterial stiffness and IAB in overweight subjects. Methods: A total of 110 overweight people were enrolled (56 subjects with IAB, and 54 age- and gender-matched subjects without IAB) into the study. Surface 12-lead standard ECGs were recorded. I.E.M. Mobil-O-Graph ambulatory blood pressure monitor device was used to assess the arterial stiffness. Results: The mean age of the patients was 54.1 ± 11.5 years, and 53.6% were male. PWV and Aix were significantly higher in IAB (+) group than IAB (?) group (9.34 ± 1.5 vs. 7.86 ± 1.3, p <.001; 29.18 ± 11.2 vs. 22.75 ± 10.4, p <.001, respectively), and also, positive linear correlation was observed between arterial stiffness parameters and P-wave duration (r =.758 for PWV; r =.682 for Aix, respectively). Conclusion: The present study is the first to focus on evaluating the relationship between the presence of IAB and arterial stiffness in overweight subjects. If there is a coexistence of increased arterial stiffness and IAB in overweight subjects, it should be considered as requiring clinically closer follow-up. © 2019 The Authors. Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Assessment of the impact of isolated coronary artery ectasia on left ventricular functions with 3D speckle-tracking echocardiography

PubMed ID: 31742786Background: Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is an angiographic definition of coronary artery pathology in which the diameter of the ectatic segment measures more than 1.5 times the diameter of an adjacent healthy reference segment. No previous study has reported on the use of 3D-STE for assessing the left ventricular (LV) functions in patients with isolated CAE. As a result of this, we aimed to evaluate the effects of isolated CAE on LV functions using 3D-STE in the present study. Methods: Ninety-one patients with isolated CAE and 90 controls who proved to have normal coronary angiograms were enrolled to the study. 3D-STE was performed and GLS, GCS, GAS, and GRS were obtained for every subject after coronary angiography. Results: The mean age of the patients was 61.75 ± 10.02 years, and 71.8% were male. GLS, GCS, GAS, and GRS were significantly depressed in the isolated CAE group than in the control group (P -16 has 92.1 % sensitivity, 88.5 % specificity; and a GCS value of >-20 has 86.7 % sensitivity, 89.2 % specificity to detect the presence of isolated CAE. Conclusion: Isolated CAE has a considerable negative effect on LV functions as evaluated by 3D-strain parameters, and 3D-STE could be an effective method to detect early stage myocardial impairment in patients with isolated CAE. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Evaluation of left atrial and ventricular myocardial functions by three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in patients with euthyroid Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

PubMed: 328975252-s2.0-85090437951Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (HsT) is one of the most frequently occurring autoimmune diseases, characterized by lymphocytic infiltration, destruction and fibrosis of thyroid tissue and the presence of antibodies to thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin. The effects of euthyroid Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (eHsT) on cardiovascular system are unclear. We aimed to identify if any deteriorations in LA and LV myocardial functions in patients with eHsT by 3D-STE in the current study. Fifty eight patients with eHsT and 60 age- and gender-matched controls were enrolled into the study. All participants underwent laboratory analyses which included thyroid hormones and thyroid autoantibody levels; and conventional 2D echocardiographic and 3D-STE analyses were performed. The mean age of the study patients was 34.5 ± 9 years, and 68.6% were female. Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) was significantly depressed in the eHsT (+) group than in the control group (? 15.3 ± 3.6 vs. ? 22.8 ± 3.8, p < 0.001). The LV-GLS was found to be disrupted linearly as thyroid autoantibodies increased (r = 0.684 for anti-TPO-ab and LV-GLS; r = 0.649 for anti-Tg-ab and LV-GLS). The present study demonstrated that 3D-STE is useful in the early detection of LV myocardial dysfunction in patients with eHsT. We found that eHsT had a negative effect on LV myocardial dynamics. According to these findings, these myocardial alterations that are present early in the disease process may be considered as a reason to start medical treatment earlier, even at the euthyroid stage to prevent LV myocardial impairment. © 2020, Springer Nature B.V