Left ventricular hypertrophy in adults with previous repair of coarctation of the aorta; association with systolic blood pressure in the high normal range

BackgroundArterial hypertension is common in adults with repaired coarctation of the aorta (CoA). The associations between the diagnosis of hypertension, actual blood pressure, other factors affecting left ventricular overload, and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) are not yet fully explored in this population.Material and resultsFrom the national register for congenital heart disease, 506 adult patients (≥ 18 years old) with previous repair of CoA were identified (37.0% female, mean age 35.7 ± 13.8 years, with an average of 26.8 ± 12.4 years post repair). Echocardiographic data were available for all patients, and showed LVH in 114 (22.5%) of these. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) (mm Hg) (OR 1.02, CI 1.01-1.04), aortic valve disease, (OR 2.17, CI 1.33-3.53), age (years) (OR 1.03, CI 1.01-1.05), diagnosis of arterial hypertension (OR 3.02, CI 1.81-5.02), and sex (female) (OR 0.41, CI 0.24-0.72) were independently associated with LVH. There was an association with LVH at SBP within the upper reference limits [130, 140] mm Hg (OR 2.23, CI 1.05-4.73) that further increased for SBP > 140 mm Hg (OR 8.02, CI 3.76-17.12).ConclusionsLVH is common post repair of CoA and is associated with SBP even below the currently recommended target level. Lower target levels may therefore become justified in this population.