ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Left Ventricular hypertrophy(LVH) is welll known independent predictors of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Recently echocardiography is popular method to measure Left Ventricular Mass(LVM) and detect LVH. The purpose of this study is to determine the mean values of LVM and criteria for LVH in Korean. METHODS: Two hundered and fifty five subjects who participate in the health clinic were selected and studied(among them, 47 subjects were excluded according to exclusion criteria). History, physical examination, routine laboratories, and echocardiography were performed ot all of the subjects. RESULTS: The mean values of LVM, LVM corrected for body surface area(BSA), and LVM corrected for height are respectively : 199g, 114g/m2, and 119g/m in 119 Korean men, and 168g, 107g/m2, and 108g/m in 89 women, by echocardiography in accordance with the American Society of Echocardiography(ASE) convention. The criteria for LVH, based on mean plus two standard deviation for LVM, LVM/BSA, and LVM/height are, respectively : 301g, 168g/m2, and 181g/m in men, and 262g, 165g/m2, and 168g/m in women. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of LV hypertrophy in the evtire study group using LV mass/surface criteria and LV mass/height are respectively 7.6% in men and 10.9% in women and 6.9% in men and 10% in women. There are little difference of the prevalance rate of LV Hypertrophy by whichever criteria were used, either based on LVM/body surface or LVM/height while still correcting for body size.