In men, the longitudinal changes in LV mass opposite of cross-sectional changes
TUESDAY, Oct. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Age-related changes to the mass and volume of the left ventricle (LV) occur differently in men and women, according to a study published online Oct. 20 in Radiology.
John Eng, M.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues used cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify longitudinal changes in LV structure and function in 2,935 participants (53 percent women) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis who were free of clinical cardiovascular disease at baseline. MRI was conducted at baseline and follow-up (average, 9.4 years).
The researchers found that LV mass increased in men and decreased slightly in women (P < 0.001). LV end-diastolic volume decreased (P < 0.001), stroke volume decreased (P < 0.001), and mass-to-volume ratio increased (P < 0.001) in both men and women. There was a positive association between change in LV mass and systolic blood pressure and body mass index and a negative association with treated hypertension and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. In men, the longitudinal LV mass increase was in contrast to a cross-sectional pattern of LV mass decrease.
“As patients age, the LV responds differently in its mass and volume between men and women, although both men and women experience increased concentric LV remodeling with age,” the authors write.
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