Factors of importance to Doppler indices of left ventricular filling in 50-year-old healthy subjects.

Age is an important determinant of Doppler indices of left ventricular diastolic filling in normal subjects. To define reference values and factors of importance to Doppler indices of left ventricular filling in subjects of similar age, 58 men and 76 women aged 50 years underwent Doppler echocardiography. All those taking part in the study were healthy. When gender was analysed in a multivariate model it showed a significant independent correlation with the peak velocity of early diastolic filling (E wave) (P < 0.001) and the early to atrial peak velocity (E/A) ratio (P < 0.01). The peak E wave velocity was 0.75 +/- 0.11 m.s-1 vs 0.66 +/- 0.10 m.s-1 (P < 0.001) and the E/A ratio was 1.24 +/- 0.25 vs 1.14 +/- 0.20 (P < 0.05) in women and men, respectively. In multivariate analyses, heart rate, diastolic blood pressure and body mass index correlated independently with the E/A ratio in women (P < 0.001 for all), whereas in men, heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, body mass index and left ventricular diameter correlated independently with the E/A ratio (P < 0.001 for all). Doppler measurements of left ventricular filling in 50-year-old healthy subjects showed a wide variation and were significantly associated with heart rate, diastolic blood pressure, body mass index and gender.