Effect of Insulin Resistance on Cardiac Mass in Elderly Normotensive People: A Cross-sectional Study

Background The increased left ventricular mass (LVM) is a well-known risk indicator for occurrences concerning cardiovascular disease. The risk of these changes in cardiac morphology is intensified for subjects with type 2 diabetes. While insulin resistance has been embroiled in the pathogenesis of ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, earlier research studies have produced contradictory findings which are constrained by comparison bias. The present study focuses on the independent effect of insulin resistance on LVM in the elderly normotensive population. Methods The study included 50 subjects excluding patients with myocardial infarction, heart failure, systemic hypertension and aortic stenosis. Group I included 30 patients with glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, or type 2 DM while Group II included 20 control subjects of matched age and sex. Participants involved in the study underwent clinical examination, laboratory investigation (including 75-g oral glucose tolerance test, HbA1c, Plasma insulin level, calculated HOMA-IR, Fasting Lipid profile, Serum albumin/ creatinine ratio) and echocardiography. Results LV mass index was significantly different between the 2 group being higher (142.07 ± 53.34) in the study group compared to (92.05 ± 9.42) in the control group, (P = 0.000). Waist circumference, HOMA-IR, FBS, HbA1c and systolic BP have significant positive correlations with LV mass index. However, only HOMA-IR has a significant independent positive correlation with LV mass index. Conclusions It is inferred from the present study that insulin resistance is associated with increased cardiac mass in normotensive elderly people.