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MESA substudy: Patient characteristics influence size, ejection fraction of right ventricle
Kawut S. Circulation. 2011;doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.985515.
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A new substudy of the MESA trial has found that the size and ejection fraction of the right ventricle varies depending on the age, sex and race of the individual.
This substudy, the researchers wrote, is the first to investigate differences between races and ethnicities in morphology of the right ventricle and could potentially explain distinct responses of the right ventricle to cardiopulmonary disease.
In the study, Steven M. Kawut, MD, and fellow researchers examined a diverse population (n=4,123; mean age, 61.5 years; 52.5% female), including whites, blacks, Hispanics and Chinese, in which right ventricle volumes and mass were obtained via cardiac MRI.
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The MESA substudy findings indicated that with each decade of age, right ventricle mass diminished by approximately 5%, with larger diminishments reported in men than women (P<.05). Despite this, men had roughly 8% more right ventricle mass and larger right ventricle volumes, whereas women had a 4% higher right ventricle ejection fraction.
Also found was an association between older age and a higher right ventricle ejection fraction, which varied depending on race (P<.01). Race-specific characteristics also suggested that blacks had lower right ventricle mass than whites (P<.002), whereas Hispanics had higher right ventricle mass (P<.02).
All findings persisted, even after adjustment for body size.
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