Left ventricular mass estimation by different partition values in a large population of black hypertensive subjects

AIMS: Our aim is to compare the impact of the 2 most widely used methods of indexing left ventricular mass (LVM) on the distribution of abnormal left ventricular (LV) geometric patterns, in a large sample of untreated asymptomatic black hypertensive subjects. METHODS AND RESULTS: All patients with hypertension referred to the Cardiology unit of University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria from 2006 to 2013, who gave informed consent, and underwent physical examination and echocardiography. LVM indexation was classified into 4 geometric patterns after echocardiography: normal geometry, concentric hypertrophy, concentric remodeling, and eccentric hypertrophy. Concentric hypertrophy was the commonest geometric pattern and was detected in 33.6% to 39.5% of the patients. LVM/height(2.7) was a better method to detect abnormal geometric pattern than LVM/BSA (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: In a large cohort of hypertensive subjects with no clinical evidence of cardiovascular disease, abnormal LV geometry was found in greater than four‐fifths of the population. In addition, LVM indexed for height (2.7) was found to be a better method for detecting LVH than LVM indexed for BSA, as the highest prevalence of abnormal geometry was diagnosed when LVM was indexed for height(2.7).