AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 AbstractNov 9, 2026, 02:19 GMT

Heart chamber growth linked to later heart failure

A 1-milliliter annual increase in the main pumping chamber’s volume per square meter of body surface was linked to 31% higher relative heart failure risk.

Paper by Seyed Reza Mirjalili, Kyle C. Atlas, Anthony P. Reeves, +12Morteza Naghavi · HeartLung.AI · HeartLung Technologies

Heart cutaway with enlarged left chambers beside smaller atrial and ventricular sections with compact cavities.

Our read

Biomarkers

Studied:: Cohort study of 2,168 participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, median 8.0 years
What changed:: Heart failure risk was 31% higher per 1-milliliter annual increase in pumping chamber volume per square meter of body surface
The catch:: Changes in cardiovascular health between scans could explain both chamber growth and later heart failure

Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper

Among 2,168 participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, an observational analysis used artificial intelligence to measure heart chambers on coronary artery calcium scans. The two scans were an average of 9.5 years apart. Chamber volumes were adjusted for body surface area.

Growth in the left ventricle, the main pumping chamber, was linked to later heart failure after accounting for clinical risk factors and chamber size at the second scan. Among participants with normal initial chamber sizes, growth in the left atrium, an upper chamber, was independently linked to atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat. Each annual increase of 1 milliliter per square meter was associated with 32% higher relative risk of that condition. Median follow-up was 8.0 years for heart failure and 7.0 years for atrial fibrillation.

Why it matters

For cardiovascular diseases relevant to aging, repeat scans may offer risk information beyond the size of a heart chamber at one point in time.

Caveats

Other changes in cardiovascular health between scans could have contributed to both chamber growth and later disease. The findings were reported in a conference abstract.