Left Ventricular Diastolic Function in Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome: Isfahan Cohort Study

Aim: To elucidate the impairment of diastolic function in subjects with the metabolic syndrome,the parameters of left ventricular diastolic filling pattern, including A velocity, E velocity, E/Aratio, and Ea velocity, measured by echocardiography were assessed.
Methods: In a cohort study, consisting of 468 consecutive individuals, 194 and 274 subjects with and without the metabolic syndrome according to the National Cholesterol Education Program’s Adult Treatment Panel III(ATP-III) criteria were recruited. Two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography was done for all. Linear regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between E/A and the Ea index and the indicators of the metabolic syndrome.
Results: The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was normal in the two groups. The left ventricular end-diastolic dimension significantly increased in the metabolic syndrome group compared to the control group. The A velocity was higher, and the Ea and E/A ratio were both lower in the participants with the metabolic syndrome than in those without it (p value <0.05).Both E/A and the Ea indices correlated significantly (p value <0.05) with the clinical components of the metabolic syndrome such as systolic and diastolic blood pressures and waist circumference, but not with fasting blood sugar and lipid profile. Conclusion: Diastolic dysfunction occurred in the subjects with the metabolic syndrome even with a preserved systolic function, and it independently correlated with some components of the metabolic syndrome, including systolic and diastolic blood pressures as well as with central obesity