Key result
Borderline personality disorder in young women is linked to impaired myocardial deformation across nine wall regions.
Why the study?
Psychosocial stress is associated with atherosclerotic CVD, and subtle global longitudinal strain differences were previously seen in women with BPD. This study investigated the impact of BPD on segmental myocardial wall motion using speckle tracking echocardiography.
Does borderline personality disorder affect segmental myocardial wall motion in young women without pre-existing cardiovascular disease compared to healthy controls?
Cross-Sectional (n=100)
No
Does borderline personality disorder affect segmental myocardial wall motion in young women without pre-existing cardiovascular disease compared to healthy controls?
Young women with borderline personality disorder exhibit subtle, subclinical abnormalities in regional myocardial wall motion detectable by speckle tracking echocardiography, potentially linked to chronic stress and associated cardiovascular risk factors.
May support targeted cardiac assessment in young women with BPD but should not change practice; leaves open causal role of psychosocial stress.
BACKGROUND: Psychosocial stress has been associated with the development and progression of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). Previously, we reported subtle differences in global longitudinal strain in somatically healthy women with a psychiatric diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study aimed to investigate the impact of BPD on segmental myocardial wall motion using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) analysis. METHODS: A total of 100 women aged between 18 and 38 years were included in this study. Fifty patients meeting the diagnostic criteria for BPD were recruited from the Department of Psychiatry (LWL-University Hospital Bochum) and compared with fifty age-matched healthy control subjects without previous cardiac disease. Laboratory tests and STE were performed with segmental wall motion analysis. RESULTS: The BPD group had a higher prevalence of risk factors for CVD, with smoking and obesity being predominant, when compared with the control group. Other cardiovascular parameters such as blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol levels were also elevated, even though not to pathological values. Moreover, in the STE analysis, the BPD group consistently exhibited decreased deformation in nine myocardial wall regions compared with the control group, along with a shift toward higher values in the distribution of peak pathological segments. Additionally, significantly higher values of free thyroxine concentration and thyroid's secretory capacity were observed in the BPD group, despite falling within the (high-) normal range. CONCLUSIONS: BPD is associated with chronic stress, classical risk factors, and myocardial wall motion abnormalities. Further exploration is warranted to investigate the relationship between high-normal thyroid metabolism, these risk factors, and myocardial function in BPD patients. Long-term follow-up studies would be valuable in confirming the potential for predicting adverse events.
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Aweimer et al. (2023) conducted a cross-sectional in Borderline Personality Disorder (n=100). Borderline Personality Disorder vs. Healthy age-matched women without previous cardiac disease was evaluated on Segmental myocardial wall motion (decreased deformation) assessed via speckle tracking echocardiography. Young women with Borderline Personality Disorder exhibited decreased deformation in nine myocardial wall regions compared to healthy controls, alongside a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors.
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