Relation between cardiac magnetic resonance-assessed interstitial fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction in heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is distinguished by left ventricle (LV) dilation accompanied by systolic dysfunction. However, some studies suggested also a high prevalence of LV diastolic dysfunction (LVDD), similar to a general cohort of heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (LVEF). The bulk of evidence, mostly arising from basic studies, suggests a causative link between cardiac fibrosis (CF) and LVDD. However, still, there remains a scarcity of data on LVDD and CF. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the association between CF and LVDD in DCM patients. Methods: The study population was composed of 102 DCM patients. Replacement CF was evaluated qualitatively (late gadolinium enhancement - LGE) and quantitively (LGE extent); interstitial cardiac fibrosis was assessed via extracellular volume (ECV). Based on echocardiography patients were divided into normal and elevated left atrial pressure (nLAP, eLAP) groups. Results: 42 % of patients had eLAP. They displayed higher troponin and NT-proBNP. Both groups did not differ in terms of LGE presence and extent; however, eLAP patients had larger ECV: 30.1 +/- 5.6 % vs. 27.8 +/- 3.9 %, p = 0.03. Moreover, ECV itself was found to be an independent predictor of LVDD (OR = 0.901; 95 %CI 0.810-0.999; p = 0.047; normalised for LVEF and RVOT diameter). Conclusions: More than two-in-five DCM patients had at least moderate LVDD. The mere presence or extent of replacement cardiac fibrosis is similar in patients with nLAP and eLAP. On the other hand, interstitial cardiac fibrosis is more pronounced in those with a higher grade of LVDD. ECV was found to be an independent predictor of LVDD in DCM.