Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Electrocardiographic-left ventricular hypertrophy and incident stroke among Chinese hypertensive adults

Abstract

The relationship between electrocardiographic-left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH) and stroke has been well established in the Western population with limited information in the Chinese population. This study evaluated the association between ECG-LVH and stroke outcome. A total of 19,815 (95.7%) subjects from the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial (CSPPT) with baseline ECG were included. ECG-LVH by sex-unspecific Sokolow-Lyon criteria was detected in 1599 participants (8.1%) at baseline. After a mean follow-up of 4.5 years, 605 (3.1%) subjects were detected with new-onset stroke over the total population, baseline ECG-LVH was present in 72 (4.5%) of them during follow-up. After adjusting for various cofounders, ECG-LVH remained as an independent risk factor for stroke events in the total population (HR = 1.43; 95% CI, 1.10–1.84; P = 0.007) and male population (HR = 1.47; 95% CI, 1.07–2.03; P = 0.019). Subgroup analysis showed that baseline ECG-LVH was a risk factor for stroke in individuals younger than 65 years of age(HR = 1.80, 95% CI, 1.31–2.47 vs. HR = 1.02, 95% CI, 0.66–1.59, P value for interaction = 0.047). In summary, LVH diagnosed by ECG is associated with an excess risk for stroke in Chinese hypertensive population, especially in the age group of younger than 65 years.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Lozano R, Naghavi M, Foreman K, Lim S, Shibuya K, Aboyans V, et al. Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2010. Lancet. 2012;380:2095–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Goldstein LB, Bushnell CD, Adams RJ, Appel LJ, Braun LT, Chaturvedi S, et al. Guidelines for the primary prevention of stroke: a guideline for healthcare professionals from the American heart association/American stroke association. Stroke. 2011;42:517–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Go AS, Mozaffarian D, Roger VL, Benjamin EJ, Berry JD, Borden WB, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics--2013 update: a report from the American heart association. Circulation. 2013;127:e6–245.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Ofoma U, He F, Shaffer ML, Naccarelli GV, Liao D. Premature cardiac contractions and risk of incident ischemic stroke. J Am Heart Assoc. 2012;1:e002519.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Bikkina M, Levy D, Evans JC, Larson MG, Benjamin EJ, Wolf PA, et al. Left ventricular mass and risk of stroke in an elderly cohort. The framingham heart study. JAMA. 1994;272:33–6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Verdecchia P, Porcellati C, Reboldi G, Gattobigio R, Borgioni C, Pearson TA, et al. Left ventricular hypertrophy as an independent predictor of acute cerebrovascular events in essential hypertension. Circulation. 2001;104:2039–44.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Ishikawa J, Ishikawa S, Kabutoya T, Gotoh T, Kayaba K, Schwartz JE, et al. Jichi Medical School Cohort Study Investigators G. Cornell product left ventricular hypertrophy in electrocardiogram and the risk of stroke in a general population. Hypertension. 2009;53:28–34.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. O’Neal WT, Almahmoud MF, Qureshi WT, Soliman EZ. Electrocardiographic and echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy in the prediction of stroke in the elderly. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2015;24:1991–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Wolf PA, D’Agostino RB, Belanger AJ, Kannel WB. Probability of stroke: a risk profile from the Framingham study. Stroke. 1991;22:312–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Wu X, Zhu B, Fu L, Wang H, Zhou B, Zou S, et al. Prevalence, incidence, and mortality of stroke in the Chinese island populations: a systematic review. PLoS ONE. 2013;8:e78629.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Huo Y, Li J, Qin X, Huang Y, Wang X, Gottesman RF, et al. Efficacy of folic acid therapy in primary prevention of stroke among adults with hypertension in china: the CSPPT randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2015;313:1325–35.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Sokolow M, Lyon TP. The ventricular complex in left ventricular hypertrophy as obtained by unipolar precordial and limb leads. Am Heart J. 1949;37:161–86.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Cuspidi C, Sala C, Negri F, Mancia G, Morganti A, Italian Society of Hypertension. Prevalence of left-ventricular hypertrophy in hypertension: an updated review of echocardiographic studies. J Hum Hypertens. 2012;26:343–9.

  14. Salles GF, Cardoso CR, Fiszman R, Muxfeldt ES. Prognostic impact of baseline and serial changes in electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy in resistant hypertension. Am Heart J. 2010;159:833–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Jissho S, Shimada K, Taguchi H, Yoshida K, Fukuda S, Tanaka H, et al. Impact of electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy on the occurrence of cardiovascular events in elderly hypertensive patients—the Japanese trial to assess optimal systolic blood pressure in elderly hypertensive patients (jatos). Circ J. 2010;74:938–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Antikainen RL, Grodzicki T, Palmer AJ, Beevers DG, Webster J, Bulpitt CJ, et al. Department of Health and Social Security Hypertension Care Computer Project. Left ventricular hypertrophy determined by Sokolow-Lyon criteria: a different predictor in women than in men?. J Hum Hypertens. 2006;20:451–9.

  17. Kumpusalo E, Lappi J, Miettinen H, Takala J. Prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in finnish primary health care hypertensive patients. J Hum Hypertens. 2001;15:255–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Pewsner D, Juni P, Egger M, Battaglia M, Sundstrom J, Bachmann LM. Accuracy of electrocardiography in diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy in arterial hypertension: systematic review. BMJ. 2007;335:711.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Porthan K, Niiranen TJ, Varis J, Kantola I, Karanko H, Kahonen M, et al. ECG left ventricular hypertrophy is a stronger risk factor for incident cardiovascular events in women than in men in the general population. J Hypertens. 2015;33:1284–90.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Okin PM, Devereux RB, Jern S, Kjeldsen SE, Julius S, Dahlof B. Baseline characteristics in relation to electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive patients: the losartan intervention for endpoint reduction (life) in hypertension study. The life study investigators. Hypertension. 2000;36:766–73.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Verdecchia P, Dovellini EV, Gorini M, Gozzelino G, Lucci D, Milletich A, et al. Comparison of electrocardiographic criteria for diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertension: the MAVI study. Ital Heart J. 2000;1:207–15.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Blake J, Devereux RB, Herrold EM, Jason M, Fisher J, Borer JS, et al. Relation of concentric left ventricular hypertrophy and extracardiac target organ damage to supranormal left ventricular performance in established essential hypertension. Am J Cardiol. 1988;62:246–52.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Shigematsu Y, Hamada M, Mukai M, Matsuoka H, Sumimoto T, Hiwada K. Clinical evidence for an association between left ventricular geometric adaptation and extracardiac target organ damage in essential hypertension. J Hypertens. 1995;13:155–60.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Verdecchia P, Reboldi G, Schillaci G, Borgioni C, Ciucci A, Telera MP, et al. Circulating insulin and insulin growth factor-1 are independent determinants of left ventricular mass and geometry in essential hypertension. Circulation. 1999;100:1802–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Messerli FH, Ventura HO, Elizardi DJ, Dunn FG, Frohlich ED. Hypertension and sudden death. Increased ventricular ectopic activity in left ventricular hypertrophy. Am J Med. 1984;77:18–22.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. McLenachan JM, Henderson E, Morris KI, Dargie HJ. Ventricular arrhythmias in patients with hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy. N Engl J Med. 1987;317:787–92.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the participants who volunteered to participate in the study, and the data collection staff of the CSPPT team.

Funding

The study was supported by National Science and Technology Major Projects Specialized for “Precision Medicine Research” during the 13th Five-Year Plan Period (No. 2016YFC0903100); the State Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81530015 to Y.G.L); Projects of National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 81473052 and 81402735 to Y.G.L); the Science, Technology and Innovation Committee of Shenzhen (No. JCYL20130401162636527); the Department of Development and Reform, Shenzhen Municipal Government (No. SFG 20201744); the Special Project on the Integration of Industry, Education and Research of Guangdong Province (No. 2011A091000031); and the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China (No. 2014B090904040).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yong Huo or Yi-Gang Li.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhao, Y., Huang, X., Zhang, PP. et al. Electrocardiographic-left ventricular hypertrophy and incident stroke among Chinese hypertensive adults. J Hum Hypertens 34, 286–292 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-018-0155-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41371-018-0155-x

Search

Quick links