THE ASSOCIATIONS OF BODY-SIZE AND BODY-COMPOSITION WITH LEFT-VENTRICULAR MASS - IMPACTS FOR INDEXATION IN ADULTS

Objectives. We investigated the relationship between body size, body c omposition and left ventricular mass (LVM) in adults, and assessed the impact of different indexations of LVM on its associations with gende r, adiposity and blood pressure. Background. The best way to normalize LVM for body size to appropriately distinguish physiologic adaptation from morbid heart morphology was discussed. Methods. We undertook a c ommunity survey of 653 men and 718 women, aged 25 to 74 years. Lean bo dy mass (LBM) was determined by bioelectric impedance analyses and LVM mas assessed by two-dimensional guided RI-mode echocardiography. Resu lts. After traditional indexations to body height, body height(2.7), o r body surface area, men had higher LVM than women (p < 0.001). These gender differences disappeared (p > 0.05) when LVM was indexed to LBM. The type of indexation also modified the strength of the association between adiposity and LVM. The estimated impact of body fat on LVM ind exed to LBM was less than half that obtained with traditional indexati ons. In contrast, the magnitude of the associations of blood pressure with LVM was entirely independent of the type of indexation. Conclusio ns. This study showed the prominent influence of body composition on a dult heart size. Indexation for LBM removed gender differences for LVM and reduced the impact of adiposity, but left the effects of blood pr essure unchanged. We suggest that this approach be used for clinical a nd research applications.