Age- and Sex-Related Influences on Left Ventricular Mechanics in Elderly Individuals Free of Prevalent Heart Failure: The ARIC Study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities).

BACKGROUND: Advanced age is related to left ventricular (LV) remodeling. We sought to investigate the relationships between aging, elevated hemodynamic load, cardiac mechanics, and LV remodeling in an elderly community-based population.

METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 1105 subjects (76±5 years, 61% women) without prevalent heart failure, who attended the visit 5 of the ARIC study (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities). LV global longitudinal strain, global circumferential strain, and torsion indices were analyzed using 3-dimensional echocardiography. Advanced age was associated with greater LV concentricity, lower myocardial diastolic relaxation, reduced global longitudinal strain (adjusted estimate, 0.39±0.19% (SE)/decade; P=0.038), borderline greater global circumferential strain (adjusted estimate, -0.59±0.36% (SE)/decade; P=0.08), and higher torsion indices (adjusted estimate for torsion, 0.33±0.04° (SE)/decade; P

CONCLUSIONS: In an asymptomatic, senescent community-dwelling population, we observed a distinct, sex-specific pattern of cardiac remodeling. Although we observed worse diastolic and longitudinal function with advanced age or elevated load in both sexes, a significant increase of torsion was more pronounced in women.