Mayo Clinic researchers have found that abnormalities of diastolic function — when the heart is in its relaxation phase — are strongly related to decreased exercise ability, particularly as patients age. The study will be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Jan. 21 issue .
The study evaluated nearly 3,000 patients whose physicians had recommended an exercise echocardiogram test, which allows doctors to look at images that show how a patient’s heart functions when he or she exercises. The researchers used Doppler echocardiography, which allowed them to look specifically at the relaxation phase of the heart.
“If there is even a mild degree of diastolic dysfunction, this appears to contribute to impaired exercise capacity. I think we should be paying more attention to diastolic parameters,” says lead author Patricia Pellikka, M.D., Mayo Clinic cardiologist.
Further studies are needed, but the study suggests that physicians can use the results to help patients now, Dr. Pellikka says. Physicians know that high blood pressure and coronary artery disease that is not controlled can lead to diastolic dysfunction, so this study shows the importance of focusing on those modifiable risk factors, Dr. Pellikka says.
Below is a link to an edited a youtube video with Dr. Pellikka .
