Prognostic Impact of Echocardiographically Determined Left Ventricular Mass Severity According to the Proposed Categorization by the American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Echocardiography (ASE/EAE)

Background: The ASE/EAE recommended the use of quantitative estimation of LV mass and defined sex-specific partition values empirically for mild, moderate and severe LV hypertrophy (LVH), based on standard deviation above or below the reference limit derived from a group of healthy people. However, the prognostic implication associated with this categorization is not known. Methods: Among 2545 unselected adult outpatients referred to the Echo Lab for any indication, LVH was assessed by measuring LV mass using the ASE/EAE recommended formula and measurements convention from LV linear dimensions indexed to body surface area. Incident hospitalization for cardiovascular disease (CVD) (coronary heart disease, arrhythmias, heart failure) and death were the outcomes of the study.