Asthma Linked to Heart Failure Risk

Childhood asthma was associated with increased left ventricular (LV) mass in adulthood, according to the findings of a recent study.

The prospective analysis included 1118 participants from the Bogalusa Heart Study with a baseline history of self-reported asthma since childhood. Participants were followed for an average of 10.4 ± 7.5 years, with a mean baseline age of 26.8 ± 10.1 years and mean age of 36.7 ± 5.1 years at the end of follow-up. LV mass was assessed using 2-dimensional guided M-mode echocardiography, and was indexed for body height as LV mass index (LVMI).
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During follow-up, participants with a history of childhood asthma had a greater LV mass and LVMI after adjustments for age, sex, race, smoking status, antihypertensive medication, heart rate, and systolic blood pressure. The significant difference between LVMI in participants with asthma compared with participants without asthma remained after researchers performed additional adjusted for body mass index and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein.

The association between asthma and LV measures was stronger for patients with hypertension and pre-hypertension compared with patients with normal systolic blood pressure, indicating that significant interactions between systolic blood pressure and asthma had an impact on LV mass and LVMI.

“Our results indicated that young adults with a history of asthma were at a significantly greater risk of increased LVMI, independent of other major [cardiovascular disease] risk factors,” the researchers concluded. “Our data suggest that aggressive lifestyle modifications or even pharmacological treatment may be applied to people with a history of asthma, especially those also affected by high blood pressure, to lower [cardiovascular] risk.”

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Sun D, Wang T, Heianza Y, et al. A history of asthma from childhood and left ventricular mass in asymptomatic young adults: the Bogalusa Heart Study [published online June 26, 2017]. JACC Heart Fail. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jchf.2017.03.009.