Prehypertension and Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction in Middle-Aged Koreans

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is known to be a marker of myocardial damage, in particular myocardial fibrosis resulting from hypertension (HT). However, few studies have shown an association between the grade of diastolic dysfunction and blood pressure classification. We investigated the association between diastolic dysfunction and prehypertension (preHT) in apparently healthy adults who underwent routine health examinations. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The study sample included 4261 Koreans, 45 to 64 years of age with no previous history of HT, diabetes mellitus, malignancy, proven coronary artery disease, or valvular heart disease based on echocardiography, who underwent routine health examinations including echocardiography. The subjects were classified into three groups based on resting blood pressure: prehypertensive, hypertensive, and normotensive. RESULTS The prevalence of preHT in our study was 42.1%. After adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, alcohol consumption, fasting blood sugar, serum lipid profile, and body mass index, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction grades 1 and 2 were significantly more frequent in subjects with preHT (odds ratio [OR] 1.66 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.40-1.96] and 1.37 [95% CI 0.95-1.97], respectively). When analyzed according to gender, the increased OR was especially notable in males. CONCLUSION Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction appears to be significantly associated with preHT in Korean middle-aged males.