Left ventricular structural and functional changes evaluated by echocardiography and two-dimensional strain in patients with sickle cell disease

Association of anaemia on heart failure and left ventricular function: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study

AIMS

Observational studies have suggested that anaemia is associated with an increased risk of heart failure (HF). But the potential causal association is not clear. We aimed to investigate the association between anaemia and HF risk.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to confirm the causal association of anaemia with the risk of HF and left ventricular structure and function. Furthermore, a reverse-direction MR analyses was conducted to assess the causal effect of HF on anaemia. The MR analysis indicated that genetically predicted anaemia is associated with the increased risk of HF (meta: odd ratio (OR) = 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.04, 1.20]; P = 0.002), and left ventricular mass index (β = 1.051; 95% CI [0.384, 1.718]; P = 0.002), left ventricular mass (β = 2.063; 95% CI [0.578, 3.547]; P = 0.006), left atrial minimum volume (β = 0.076; 95% CI [0.008, 0.143]; P = 0.028), and left atrial maximum volume (β = 0.090; 95% CI [0.023, 0.157]; P = 0.009). In the reverse-direction MR analyses, we found that genetic susceptibility to HF was significantly associated with the increased risk of anaemia (meta: OR = 1.40; 95% CI [1.24, 1.59]; P = 1.79 × 10-7 ).

CONCLUSIONS

This MR study supports the genetic evidence that there is bidirectional causality between anaemia and the risk of HF as well as anaemia may cause left ventricular hypertrophy and enlargement of the left atrium. Considering the adverse causal effects between the two diseases, more attention should be paid to the prevention and treatment of anaemia in patients with HF.

Sickle cell disease and ventricular myocardial strain: A systematic review

Cardiac disease is the primary cause of death in sickle cell disease (SCD). Cardiac abnormalities begin in childhood and progress throughout life. Right and left ventricular (RV, LV) myocardial strain are early markers of systolic dysfunction but are not well investigated among individuals with SCD. The objectives of this review were to (1) identify all published studies that have evaluated ventricular myocardial strain, (2) summarize their values, and (3) compare findings with those obtained from controls. From search results of four electronic databases-Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science-42 potential articles were identified, of which 18 articles and 17 studies met eligibility criteria for inclusion. The evaluated studies demonstrate that RV and LV myocardial strain are generally abnormal in individuals with SCD compared with controls, despite having normal ejection/shortening fraction. Myocardial strain has been inconsistently evaluated in this population and should be considered any time an echocardiogram is performed.

Prognostic value of left ventricular longitudinal strain by speckle-tracking echocardiography in patients with sickle cell disease

Cardiovascular complications have been increasingly detected in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) detects early myocardial changes in a number of pathophysiological processes, which may be useful in SCD. This study was designed to examine the value of STE in predicting clinical outcome in adult patients with SCD. A total of 219 patients, mean age 33 ± 12 years were prospectively enrolled. Several clinical, laboratory and echocardiographic variables including left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) by STE were assessed. The endpoint was a composite of the following events: (1) all-cause mortality, (2) three or more acute painful episodes that require hospitalization in one year, (3) acute chest syndrome and (4) hospitalization due to disease complication. The majority of the patients had enlargement of LV and left atrial (LA) with preserved ejection fraction. During the mean follow-up of 30 months, 69 patients (32%) had reached the endpoint, including eight deaths (3.7%). No difference was observed in the parameters of diastolic function comparing the patients with and without events. LVGLS ranged from - 12.25 to - 25.44 (mean - 20.26 ± 2.5), with higher values in the patients who had events compared with those who did not. In the multivariable analysis, higher LVGLS values were associated with adverse events (adjusted OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.04-1.51; p = 0.021), independently of the TR maximal velocity and LV ejection fraction. In patients with SCD, higher LV global longitudinal strain was a predictor of adverse outcome, independently of age, TR velocity and LV function.

Evaluation of Cardiac Function in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease with Left Ventricular Global Longitudinal Strain

Background and Objectives

The importance of myocardial dysfunction in sickle cell disease (SCD) is currently debated. It is difficult to find a reliable index of function in patients with chronic overload as in SCD. Speckle tracking echocardiography, a new mean of evaluating cardiac function, might be a useful tool in SCD. It has been applied in many fields to detect early cardiac function deterioration, and it is less load dependent compared with other function parameters. Studies in patients with SCD are rare, and the results are conflicting. The present study aimed to determine whether left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) was abnormal in a population of adults with SCD and whether it was correlated with clinical or biological parameters.

Methods

We prospectively enrolled 37 patients and 34 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Echocardiography was performed in patients and controls.

Results

We found that the left ventricular diameter and mass were higher and the ejection fraction and longitudinal strain were lower in patients compared with controls. Diastolic dysfunction was uncommon. LV-GLS was abnormal in 21% of the patients. No correlation was observed between strain and clinical or biological parameters.

Conclusions

We concluded that LV-GLS could be a useful tool for evaluating these patients. However, the clinical impact of reduced LV-GLS remains to be determined.