Background: The diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) has been incorporated as an important marker of cardiovascular disease. The determination of cut off points to define abnormality is frequently controversial, and ASE committee developed the new criteria of LVH at 2005 because traditional cut-off limits may ignore cardiovascular risk associated with increased LV mass in the "normal" range based on statistical assumptions.
Objective: We want to know the prevalence of LVH and echocardiographic, clinical meaning after applying this new criterion in Koreans.
Methods & results: We enrolled 2489 consecutive subjects during recent 2 years (905 men, 1584 women) who are diagnosed as LVH by echocardiography in our center. Patients with other significant heart problem, systemic disease and poor echo window are excluded. Among these patients, 331 men(37%) and 690 women(44%) who had LV mass below the limits traditionally employed for LVH definition are categorized as LVH by new criteria. The more proportion of non-hypertensive patients is included in LVH group (from 29% to 34% in men, from 29% to 36% in women). Several echocardiographic datas are changed in new LVH group.(Table)
Conclusions: By new LVH classification criteria, the prevalence of LVH has increased about 40% in Korean. Further follow up evaluation whether these changes would predict major cardiovascular events better than previous criteria will be needed.
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