We may assume that most of the subjects were right-handed supposing a prevalence of left-handedness of <10%% in the general population (Annett 1973).
Irrefutably, there is a higher prevalence of left ventricle diastolic dysfunction in patients with psoriasis.
Indeed, such patients present a high prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy and hypertension, both of which are markers of increased cardiovascular risk [ 34, 35].
Because left ventricular hypertrophy is known to predispose patients with hypertension to CV morbid and fatal events, the finding of a high prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in diabetic hypertensive patients may partially explain their increased morbidity and mortality.
This stratification by age revealed a different clinical profile; that is, older patients were more likely to have advanced heart failure, as indicated by a higher prevalence of left ventricular dysfunction and CRT treatment, than younger patients (Table 1).
The nature of the fibrosis can also vary, from focal fibrotic lesions to diffuse patches of fibrosis, as can the distribution of the fibrosis in the heart, depending on the underlying pathological condition; for example, dilated cardiomyopathy exhibits a high prevalence of left atrial fibrosis [ 32].
Furthermore, as reported above, in subjects with isolated clinic hypertension, there was a greater prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (7), in line with evidence from other studies that this condition is associated with the presence of subclinical organ damage (6, 8, 9).
Increased blood lead levels were associated with an increased prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in U.S. adults (Schwartz 1991) and with a nonstatistically significant increase in left ventricular mass in U.S. battery workers (Tepper et al. 2001).
In hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes, nocturnal systolic blood pressure and hyperglycemia were co-factors for an increased prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy [ 30].
This is also suggested by the only other study of lower exposure levels, a cross-sectional study that found a significantly increased prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy associated with increased blood lead concentration among U.S. adults (Schwartz 1991).
