Respiratory changes in the E/A wave pattern can be an early sign of diastolic dysfunction: an echocardiographic long-term follow-up study

• Published in: Medical science monitor 2012-10, Vol.18 (10), p.MT79-MT84
• Main Authors: Sahin, Tayfun, Celikyurt, Umut, Kilic, Teoman, Kahraman, Goksel, Kozdag, Güliz, Agacdiken, Aysen, Ural, Ertan, Ural, Dilek
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case-Control Studies; Diagnostics and Medical Technology; Diastole - physiology; Echocardiography; Echocardiography, Doppler; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Respiration; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - diagnostic imaging; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - physiopathology
• ISSN: 1234-1010; 1643-3750
• DOI: 10.12659/MSM.883472

The left ventricular filling pattern may show changes during respiration, which are generally used in the diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction. The clinical importance of the respiratory E/A wave pattern change has been investigated in a limited number of studies. The aim of the present study was to assess the diastolic function of hypertensive patients with respiratory changes in mitral flow over a long-term follow-up period. Our study included 107 newly diagnosed and untreated hypertensive patients (49 males; mean age, 46±10 years) with respiratory changes during transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). In addition, the patient group was classified into 2 groups according to the change in E/A pattern by the Valsalva maneuver. After a mean follow-up period of 44±7 month, 90% of the hypertensive patients and the entire control group were re-examined. Relaxation abnormalities developed in 84% of the patients (58/80) in the Valsalva-positive group after the follow-up period. The frequency of relaxation abnormalities was 60% in the Valsalva-negative group and 3.1% in the control group (p