Cardiac Function in the Elderly Patients with Cerebrovascular Diseases

Systolic and Diastolic Left Ventricular Function

Abstract

This study was undertaken to investigate cardiac function noninvasively in the elderly patients under the chronic stage of cerebrovascular disease (CVD). Mechanocardiography was perfomed to compare systolic function (as ICT and ET/PEP) and diastolic function (as II_A-RF and II_A-O) in 42 patients and 40 controls. CVD included 33 of cerebral infarction and 9 of cerebral hemorrhage. The average ages were 74.4 in the elderly CVD patients (A), 55.9 in the middle aged CVD patients (B), 76.6 in the elderly controls (C) and 49.9 in the middle aged controls (D), respectively. ICT was within normal upper limits of 40.3±13.3msec in the A group, but it was prolonged to be 61.0±20.1msec in the B group. ET/PEP was limited within normal lower borders as 2.57±0.40 in the A group, while it was shortened to be 2.36±0.54 in the B group. II_A-RF and II_A-O were within normal range in the A group (222.0±47.4msec and 125.0±28.6msec, respectively), although they were lengthened to be 255.6±35.0msec and 169.5±36.6msec, respectively, in the B group. Hypertension and cardiomegaly were observed in the half of both A and B groups, diabetes appeared in many of the A group and moderate gait disturbances in many of the B group. The cardiac function was also related to the risk factors of CVD and gait disturbances. In conclusion, cardiac function was well preserved in the elderly patients of chronic stage of CVD as compared with the middle aged CVD patients. The decreased cardiac function in the middle aged CVD patients could be explained by the various risk factors, such as hypertension, extent of the cerebrovascular disease and gait disturbances.