Primary Aldosteronism: An Analysis by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography

Abstract

Remodeling of the myocardium in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) is mediated by the presence of mineralocorticoid receptors on the myocytes and fibroblasts. The goal of this study was to analyze the effect of arterial hypertension and metabolic disorders on the cardiovascular system in patients with PA. We recruited 54 patients with PA, 32 (61.1%) female and 22 (38.9%) male. The average age of the patients was 51.95 ± 13.77 years. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the longitudinal strain of the left ventricle (LV) at the basal level; a moderate negative correlation between the longitudinal strain of LV at the basal level and the aortic root diameter; a negative correlation between the circumferential strain of LV at the basal level and SBP, and a negative correlation between the circumferential strain of LV at the basal level and the aldosterone-renin ratio. The demonstrated correlations between SBP and longitudinal strain of LV at the basal level, diastolic blood pressure and circumferential strain of LV at the baselevel suggest thatleft ventricular hypertrophy in PA is preceded by the decrease not only in the longitudinal strain, as has been previously demonstrated, but also in the circular strain.