2019 Volume 49 Issue 2 Pages 89-96
Background: Valvular regurgitation, a degenerative condition, increases in prevalence with age. Its impact on left ventricular (LV) function in the elderly remains unclear, however.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterize the relationship between LV function and valvular regurgitation in middle-aged and elderly.
Methods: Echocardiography was performed to assess LV systolic and diastolic function in 98 community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults. Mitral regurgitation (MR) and aortic regurgitation (AR) were qualitatively graded from absent or trivial to severe.
Results: The LV ejection fraction was significantly higher and the deceleration time at the mitral level during rapid filling significantly longer in the MR group than in the non-MR group. The ratio of early diastolic wave peak velocity to mitral annular early diastolic peak velocity was significantly greater in the AR group than in the non-AR group.
Conclusions: Both MR and AR may play an important role in change in LV systolic and diastolic function, even in cases of mild regurgitation, in middle-aged and elderly.
