Cardiac MRI diastolic metrics predict heart failure risk

In a cohort of 59,416 UK Biobank participants with a mean age of 65.4 years, researchers evaluated whether cardiac MRI measures of diastolic function predict adverse cardiovascular events. The secondary analysis followed participants over a median of 6 years to assess incident heart failure, arrhythmia, and all-cause death. Multivariable models adjusted for clinical cardiovascular risk factors such as age, sex, smoking, body mass index, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, alongside established prognostic imaging markers like ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain.

Peak early diastolic longitudinal strain rate (e'SR), the E/A ratio, and maximum left atrial volume were independently associated with incident heart failure and arrhythmia. Peak e'SR showed the strongest link to heart failure with a hazard ratio of 0.55, compared to 1.37 for E/e'SR and 1.28 for maximum left atrial volume.