right ventricular function indices at rest and during exercise in hyperthyroid patients: a cross-sectional study

Background: since hyperthyroidism could be associated with right ventricular dysfunction, this study intended to investigate right ventricular (rv) function using strain echocardiography in hyperthyroid patients both at rest and in maximum-stress conditions. methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted at rajaie cardiovascular medical and research center, tehran, iran, from january 2019 to january 2020. all study participants completed a maximum treadmill exercise test, as well as a complete two-dimensional echocardiogram at rest and the peak of stress test. the data were analyzed using spss statistical software. the independent samples t test and mann–whitney u test were used for numerical, and the chi square test was used for nominal variables. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. results: the final analysis included 52 participants (26 subjects in each group). in a maximal stress situation, we found that among the rv function indices, rv global longitudinal strain (p=0.0001), systolic strain rate (p=0.0001), diastolic strain rate (p=0.0002), and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (p=0.019) were reduced significantly in the hyperthyroid patients compared to the control group. there was also a linear correlation between rv size and thyroid stimulating hormone (tsh) level (p=0.009, r=0.36). moreover, we found a negative linear correlation between tsh level with maximum stress rv strain and diastolic strain rate (p<0.001).conclusion: the findings of the present study revealed a significant change in rv function indices among hyperthyroid patients. therefore, it highlights the necessity of early diagnosis and treatment of hyperthyroidism, as well as rv function evaluation in these patients.