Values of left ventricular diastolic function assessed by left atrial volumes and Doppler echocardiography in healthy Angolans: Effect of age and gender: A pilot study

INTRODUCTION: Studies about the reference values of conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography in African populations are limited. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of aging and gender in left ventricular diastolic function assessed by conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography in healthy Angolans. METHODS: Cross-sectional study involving healthy adult participants attending a diagnostic center in Luanda, Angola. Two-dimensional transthoracic B-mode and Doppler echocardiography were performed according to the Guidelines of the American Society of Echocardiography and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging. RESULTS: A total of 103 men (47.5%) (mean age: 39.5 ± 10.8) and 114 women (52.5%) (mean age: 43.0 ± 12.5 years) were included. Women were older (p = 0.025) and showed smaller body surface area (p < 0.001) than men. Mitral E velocity and E/e' ratio were higher in women than in men. While DT of mitral E velocity was longer in men than in women (p = 0.041), E velocity, E/A ratio, and average e' velocity showed a negative significant correlation with increasing age (r - 0.33; p ≤ 0.001; r - 0.48; p ≤ 0.001 and r - 0.41; p ≤ 0.0001, respectively). Conversely, A wave velocity showed a significant positive correlation with age (r 0.47; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In a healthy Angolan adult population, the variables of left ventricular diastolic function declined with age, reflecting a normal aging process. This must be taken into account when assessing diastolic function at different age categories.