Values of left ventricular diastolic function assessed by left atrial volumes and Doppler echocardiography in healthy Angolans: Effect of age and gender: A pilot study.

INTRODUCTION

Studies about the reference values of conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography in African populations are limited.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effect of aging and gender in left ventricular diastolic function assessed by conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography in healthy Angolans.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study involving healthy adult participants attending a diagnostic center in Luanda, Angola. Two-dimensional transthoracic B-mode and Doppler echocardiography were performed according to the Guidelines of the American Society of Echocardiography and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging.

RESULTS

A total of 103 men (47.5%) (mean age: 39.5 ± 10.8) and 114 women (52.5%) (mean age: 43.0 ± 12.5 years) were included. Women were older (p = 0.025) and showed smaller body surface area (p < 0.001) than men. Mitral E velocity and E/e' ratio were higher in women than in men. While DT of mitral E velocity was longer in men than in women (p = 0.041), E velocity, E/A ratio, and average e' velocity showed a negative significant correlation with increasing age (r - 0.33; p ≤ 0.001; r - 0.48; p ≤ 0.001 and r - 0.41; p ≤ 0.0001, respectively). Conversely, A wave velocity showed a significant positive correlation with age (r 0.47; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In a healthy Angolan adult population, the variables of left ventricular diastolic function declined with age, reflecting a normal aging process. This must be taken into account when assessing diastolic function at different age categories.