Determinants Of Left Atrial Size And Volume And Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

Background: Left atrial (LA) enlargement has been considered as a parameter of diastolic burden and a predictor of common cardiovascular outcomes such as atrial fibrillation, stroke, congestive heart failure, and cardiovascular death. It has been shown that advancing age alone does not independently contribute to left atrial enlargement, and the impact of gender on left atrial volume can largely be accounted for as the differences in body surface area between men and women. Therefore, enlargement of the left atrium reflects remodeling associated with pathophysiologic processes