Arq. Bras. Cardiol. 2021; 117(5): 932-933
Electrocardiographic Diagnosis of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy
Claudio Leinig Pereira da Cunha
This Short Editorial is referred by the Research article "Performance of the Electrocardiogram in the Diagnosis of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Older and Very Older Hypertensive Patients".
Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH) is defined as an increase in left ventricular (LV) mass, which may be secondary to an increase in wall thickness (concentric LVH), increased cavity size (eccentric LVH), or both. The presentation of hypertrophied LV depends mainly on the underlying disease, with concentric LVH resulting in most cases from LV pressure overload (hypertension or aortic stenosis), while eccentric LVH mainly depends on LV volume overloads (mitral and aortic insufficiency) and dilated cardiomyopathies. Other causes of LVH include ventricular septal defects, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and physiological changes associated with athletic training.
The presence of LVH is clinically meaningful because it is associated with an increased incidence of heart failure, ventricular arrhythmias, peripheral vascular insufficiency, aortic dilatation, cerebrovascular events and sudden death or after myocardial infarction.
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