Left ventricular structure and systolic function in African Americans: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate prevalence of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and its relation to systolic function in a population-based sample of African Americans.

DESIGN: A baseline 2D guided M-mode echocardiogram was conducted as part of a longitudinal cohort study to assess prevalence and cross-sectional relationships between echocardiographic and clinical parameters.

SETTING: Data were collected as part of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.

PARTICIPANTS: Analysis is limited to 1543 African Americans, aged 51-70 years, without clinically apparent cardiovascular or echocardiographically determined valvular disease.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: LV hypertrophy prevalence was defined as LV mass/ height2.7 > or = 51 g/m2.7. LV systolic chamber function was assessed at the midwall using the ratio of observed midwall fractional shortening (MWS%) to the value predicted from circumferential end-systolic stress.

RESULTS: The prevalence of LV hypertrophy was 33% in men, 38% in women. The prevalence of concentric hypertrophy (LV hypertrophy with relative wall thickness > or = 0.45) was greater than that of eccentric hypertrophy (men: 24% vs 9%; women: 27% vs 11% women). Observed/predicted (O/P) MWS% was strongly and inversely related to LV mass/ height2.7 (P<.001 and="" lv="" hypertrophy="" the="" o="" mws="" was="" inversely="" related="" to="" mass="" quartile:="" in="" first="" fourth="" quartile="" of="" for="" men="" women="" respectively.="" adjusting="" age="" adiposity="" diabetes="" blood="" pressure="" antihypertensive="" medication="" use="" smoking="" did="" not="" remove="" association="" between="">

CONCLUSIONS: LV hypertrophy was highly prevalent in this population-based middle-aged sample of African Americans and was associated with poorer LV systolic chamber function.