Structural and functional left ventricular impairment in subjects with chronic spinal cord injury and no overt cardiovascular disease

Context: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in subjects with long-term spinal cord injury (SCI). More specific recommendations for CVD prevention in this population are needed. Methods: One hundred thirty male subjects (47 subjects with SCI and 83 able-bodied persons (ABPs), mean age 43.89 +/- 1.9 and 45.44 +/- 12.2 years; P = 0.48) underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). The effects of age, weight, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and level of physical training on cardiac adaptations were evaluated through multiple regression analysis. Results: In subjects with SCI, TTE revealed increased wall thickness (P < 0.05), lower E wave, E/A ratio and early diastolic myocardial relaxation velocity on Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) (P < 0.05) and higher systolic myocardial contraction velocity on TDI (0.10 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.09 +/- 0.02 m/seconds, P = 0.002) and peak systolic pressure to end-systolic volume ratio (3.62 +/- 1.39 vs. 2.82 +/- 0.90, P < 0.001) compared with ABPs. Aortic diameters were larger in subjects with SCI than ABPs. Differences remained statistically significant even after adjustment for age, weight, MAP, and level of physical training. Weight and age were found to be independent variables that substantially affected left ventricular structure and function in subjects with SCI. Conclusions: Subjects with post-traumatic chronic SCI and no overt cardiovascular risk factors, exhibit initial left ventricular remodeling (as assessed by TTE) compared with ABPs. Lifestyle modifications, including regular physical exercise and weight control, should be implemented in all subjects with SCI, even at a very early stage, in order to reduce cardiovascular risk and prevent the development of CVD.