Synergistic effect of hypertension and aging on left atrial volume and function / 中华内科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To assess the effect of combined hypertension (HT) and aging on left atrial (LA) size and phasic function.Methods This evaluation was based on the data from a cross-sectional study including 738 subjects with high risk for cardiovascular disease from an urban community in Beijing.Subjects were divided into 3 groups according to age (41-59,60-69 and ≥70 years) and further into HT and non-HT sub-groups.LA volume index were calculated and LA global longitudinal strain in late diastole (Sa),early diastole (Se),and total strain (Stot =Sa + Se),and strain rate in late diastole (SRa),systole (SRs),and early diastole (SRe) were measured using off-line speckle-tracking echocardiography.Results LA volume index increased significantly in HT groups with aging,whereas no changes could be viewed in non-HT subjects among all age groups.LA conduit index (Se and SRe) decreased with aging in both HT and non-HT subjects with more sever in HT subjects than in non-HT subjects in all age groups.The LA conduit index in 41-59 year-HT,and in 60-69 year-HT subjects were comparable with that in 60-69 year-non-HT subjects [Se (11.0 ±4.4)％ vs (11.6 ±4.7)％,SRe (1.0 ±0.4) s-1 vs (1.0 ±-0.3) s-1],and in ≥70 year-non-HT subjects [Se(10.1 ±4.0)％ vs (9.5 ±5.4)％,SRe (0.9 ±0.3)s-1 vs (0.8 ± 0.4) s-1],respectively.LA reservoir (Stot and SRs) and contraction (Sa and SRa) index also decreased with aging in HT but not in non-HT subjects.Conclusions Aging along does not lead to LA enlargement in subjctes,but it does when combined HT.There is synergistic effect of HT and aging on LA volume and phasic function.