Normal reference values of cardiac chamber sizes and functional parameters in a beninese community population: the TAHES study

Reported ranges of normal values for echocardiographic measurements are mostly issued from studies performed in Caucasians. This study is a part of TAHES, a population-based prospective cohort study in Benin and aims to establish normal reference values for echocardiographic cardiac chambers dimensions and Doppler parameters in a Sub-Saharan African population. We included 486 healthy (non-diabetic, non-obese and normotensive) individuals (202 men and 284 women, age 37[30-47] years, BSA 1.58 (1.47-1.67) m²). End-diastolic interventricular septal wall thickness, left ventricular (LV) internal diameter, posterior wall thicknesses, and systolic LV internal diameter were respectively at 10[9-12], 45[43-49], 9[8-11], 29[26-34] mm for male and 9[7-10], 43[41-46], 8[7-], 29[27-32] mm for females. LV mass was significantly greater in males even after normalization for the body surface area (98[85-117] vs. 82[71-96] g/m²). Upper limits of BSA-indexed LV mass were 145 g/m² for males and 124 g/m² for females. The allometric exponent that described the LV mass-Height relationship were 2.5 in both sexes but 1.2 for males and 1.8 for females separately. E-wave velocity was 0.79 [0.65-0.90] cm/sec in males and 0.88 [0.78-0.99]cm/sec in females (p < 0.0001) but without significant gender differences in E/A ratio (limits: 0.75 and 2.1). The e'-wave velocity (lower limit = 8 cm/sec) decreased and E/e' ratio (Upper limit = 9) increased with aging. Upper limit of BSA-indexed left atrium volume was 38 mL/m² for both sexes. In conclusion, normal values from a general population in West Africa differ from those established in Caucasian populations with greater LV mass and wall thicknesses.