Journal Article

Unmasking Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Strategies

Synetos, Andreas, Koliastasis, Leonidas, Toutouzas, Konstantinos, Katsaros, Odysseas, Ktenopoulos, Nikolaos, Apostolos, Anastasios, Tsioufis, Constantinos, Drakopoulou, Maria, Vlasopoulou, Konstantina

2025

Overview

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is characterized by impaired ventricular relaxation and increased chamber stiffness during diastole, resulting in increased left ventricular filling pressures. It represents a highly prevalent yet frequently underdiagnosed cardiac condition with significant clinical implications, serving as a major contributor to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), particularly among elderly individuals and those with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, or coronary artery disease. Multiple studies have identified the progression of LVDD as a marker of adverse prognosis, associated with increased morbidity and mortality, highlighting the importance of early recognition and targeted therapeutic strategies to improve diastolic function and clinical outcomes. This review summarizes the pathophysiology, current diagnostic strategies, and treatment options for LVDD, emphasizing its importance in clinical practice.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
• Subject: Asymptomatic / Cardiomyocytes / Clinical outcomes / Compliance / Coronary heart disease / Diabetes / Diagnosis / Diastole - physiology / diastolic dysfunction / echocardiography / Health aspects / heart failure / Humans / Hypertension / left ventricular diastolic dysfunction / Medical research / Medicine, Experimental / Mortality / Pathophysiology / Prognosis / Review / strain imaging / Stroke Volume / tissue Doppler / Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - diagnosis / Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - physiopathology / Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - therapy