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Increased arterial stiffness leads to increased pulsatile load on the heart. We investigated associations of components of pulsatile load with a measure of left ventricular (LV) systolic function—global longitudinal strain (GLS), in a community-based cohort ascertained based on family history of hypertension.

Arterial tonometry and echocardiography with speckle tracking were performed in 520 adults with normal LV ejection fraction (EF) (age 67±9 years, 70% hypertensive) to quantify measures of pulsatile load (characteristic aortic impedance (Zc), total arterial compliance (TAC), and augmentation index (AI)) and GLS. The associations of log-Zc, log-TAC, and AI with GLS were assessed using sex-specific z-scores for each measure of arterial load.

In univariable analyses, higher Zc was associated with worse GLS (less …