Cardiac function in endocrine diseases: I. acromegaly

Summary

The aim of our echocardiographic study was to characterize cardiac function and anatomy of 14 acromegalics (A: 9 women, 5 men; mean age: 42.4 yrs) more closely. The duration of acromegaly in 4 of these patients was between 3 and 12 years; the disease was diagnosed for the first time in the other patients. Double M-mode echocardiography was performed in all patients and the results compared with data obtained from a control group of 24 healthy volunteers (N: 22 men, 2 women; mean age: 23 yrs).

The mean left ventricular diameter at end-diastole was greater in the acromegalics than in the controls (A: 55±6 mm, N: 50±4 mm;p<0.005,$\bar x \pm SD$). After correction for age and body surface area, it, however, was outside the 95% confidence interval in 5 patients. Left ventricular hypertrophy was present in 3 patients, one of whom had coexistent arterial hypertension. A total of 3 patients were hypertensive. Significantly higher values for the maximal velocity of systolic wall thickening (A: 6.1±0.6 cm/s, N: 4.2±0.6 cm/s,p<0.001) and diameter change (A: 12.4±2.0 cm/s, N: 10.6±1.0 cm/s,p<0.005) indicate increased contractility with concurrently increased relaxation; fractional shortening did not differ significantly (A: 38±5%, N: 37±5%, ns).

The isovolumetric relaxation period at diastole was slightly longer in the acromegalics (A: 70±17 ms, N:61±13 ms,p<0.05). Whereas the values for maximal diastolic velocity of wall thinning (A: 14.1±4.9 cm/s, N: 11.0±3.4 cm/s,p<0.02) and diameter increase (A: 21.6±4.7 cm/s, N: 17.8±4.1 cm/s,p<0.02) were significantly higher, those for the rapid filling period did not differ significantly (A: 115±24 ms, N: 102±30 ms, ns).

We concluded that systolic and diastolic left ventricular function did not deviate from the norm in our patients, only a relatively small percentage of whom had coexistent arterial hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy.