Prevalence and relationship between RV and LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction in patients with heart failure; an observational cross sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Heart failure is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with hypertension as the leading driver in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed the prevalence of RV and LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction and examined their interrelationship in patients with hypertensive heart failure. Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Nigeria. All participants underwent echocardiography following ASE guidelines. Data were analysed with SPSS v26. Continuous variables were expressed as means, categorical variables as frequencies. Pearson correlation and logistic regression were used to assess associations. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 120 patients were studied (mean age 56.8 ± 12.4 years; 62.5% male). Most patients (64.2%) presented in NYHA class III–IV. RV systolic dysfunction was present in 45–46% of patients, while RV diastolic dysfunction occurred in 38.3%. LV systolic dysfunction was observed in 65.8%, and LV diastolic dysfunction in 72.5%. RV systolic indices correlated with LV ejection fraction (r = 0.42, p <0.001), while RV diastolic parameters correlated with LV diastolic indices (r = 0.38, p <0.01). Patients with LV dysfunction were significantly more likely to have RV dysfunction (p <0.001). Conclusion: Biventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunctions are common in hypertensive heart failure and are strongly interrelated. Comprehensive echocardiographic assessment of both ventricles should be standard in this population.