Abstract
Left ventricular mass (LVM) is a significant risk factor for coronary artery disease in adults, and among both younger and older adults is directly related to blood pressure levels. The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study has evaluated environmental and selected cardiac risk factors among 1,037 New Zealand youth, followed since birth. We evaluated in a subsample of 262 females and 342 males assessed at age 15 who received M-mode echocardiograms, the distribution of LVM and relationship to blood pressure and other risk factors measured at repeated biennial assessments since childhood. LVM (mean+SD) was higher in boys (125+28g) than in girls (102+21g)(P<0.001), with significant gender differences persisting when LV mass was indexed by body mass index, height, or weight. Among boys and girls, LVM indexed for height was independently (p<0.001 to p<0.05) associated with body mass index, weight, and increases in systolic blood pressure since age 7, and inversely related to exercise heart rate in boys and exercise blood pressure in girls. These results suggest important risk factor associations with LVM at an early age that may have relevance for preventive strategies in youth.