Effect of growth on variability of left ventricular mass: Assessment of allometric signals in adults and children and their capacity to predict cardiovascular risk

• Published in: Journal of the American College of Cardiology 1995-04, Vol.25 (5), p.1056-1062
• Main Authors: de Simone, Giovanni, Devereux, Richard B., Daniels, Stephen R., Koren, Michael J., Meyer, Richard A., Laragh, John H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aging - physiology; Arterial hypertension. Arterial hypotension; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Body Constitution; Body Height; Cardiology. Vascular system; Child; Clinical manifestations. Epidemiology. Investigative techniques. Etiology; Female; Growth - physiology; Heart Ventricles - anatomy & histology; Humans; Hypertension - complications; Hypertension - diagnostic imaging; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular - diagnostic imaging; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular - epidemiology; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular - etiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Odds Ratio; Predictive Value of Tests; Proportional Hazards Models; Reference Values; Regression Analysis; Risk Factors; Ultrasonography
• ISSN: 0735-1097; 1558-3597
• DOI: 10.1016/0735-1097(94)00540-7

We sought to determine whether growth influences the relation between left ventricular mass and body size and whether use of different body size indexes affects the ability of ventricular mass to predict complications of hypertension. Allometric (or growth) signals between left ventricular mass and height have recently been reported to improve previous approaches for normalization of ventricular mass for body size. Residuals of left ventricular mass—height2.7relations were analyzed in a learning series of 611 normotensive, normal-weight subjects 4 months to 70 years old and, separately, in 383 children ( 0.1). These results show the following: 1) Variability of left ventricular mass in relation to height increases during human growth; 2) allometric signals of left ventricular mass versus height are lower in adults and children than those obtained across the entire age spectrum; 3) height-based indexes of left ventricular mass at least maintain and may enhance prediction of cardiac risk by hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy; and 4) the allometric signal derived across the entire spectrum of age appears to be more useful for prediction of cardiovascular risk than that computed in adults.