Glycemic status, non-traditional risk and left ventricular structure and function in the Jackson Heart Study

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular structure and function abnormalities may be an early marker of cardiomyopathy among African Americans with diabetes (DM) even in the absence of coronary artery disease (CAD), arrhythmia, valvular heart disease and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This study examined the association of prediabetes (PDM), DM and HbA1c with left ventricular structure and function among Jackson Heart Study (JHS) participants without traditional risk factors. METHODS: Retrospective cross-sectional analyses of the association of PDM, DM and HbA1c with, left ventricular ejection fraction (LV EF), fractional shortening (LV FS), stroke volume index (SVI), cardiac index (CI), left ventricular end diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), left ventricular end systolic volume index (LVESVI), relative wall thickness (RWT), myocardial contraction fraction (MCF) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI). The study was conducted in 2234 adult JHS participants without preexisting CAD, arrhythmia, valvular heart disease or ESRD. Statistical analyses included descriptive, univariate and covariate adjusted linear regression analyses. Sensitivity analyses to explore the impact of hypertension on study outcomes were also carried out. RESULTS: DM compared with no DM was associated with lower, SVI (− 0.96 ml/m(2), p = 0.029), LVEDVI (− 1.44 ml/m(2) p = 0.015), and MCF (− 1.90% p = 0.007) but higher CI (0.14 L/min/m(2), p < 0.001), RWT (0.01 cm, p = 0.002) and LVMI (2.29 g/m(2), p = 0.009). After further control for DM duration, only CI remaining significantly higher for DM compared with no DM participants (0.12 L/min/m(2), p = 0.009). PDM compared with no PDM was associated with lower, SVI (− 0.87 ml/m(2), P = 0.024), LVEDVI (− 1.15 ml/m(2) p = 0.003) and LVESVI (− 0.62 ml/m(2) p = 0.025). HbA1c ≥ 8.0% compared with HbA1c < 5.7% was associated with lower SVI (− 2.09 ml/m(2), p = 0.004), LVEDVI (− 2.11 ml/m(2) p = 0.032) and MCF (− 2.94% p = 0.011) but higher CI (0.11 L/min/m(2), p = 0.043) and RWT (0.01 cm, p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Glycemic status is associated with important left ventricular structure and function changes among African Americans without prior CAD, arrhythmia, valvular heart disease and ESRD. Longitudinal studies may further elucidate these relationships. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12872-022-02605-w.