Aortic stiffening precedes onset of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in patients with asymptomatic diastolic dysfunction.

Background: Identifying which patients with diastolic dysfunction will progress to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains challenging. The goal of this study is to determine whether increased vascular stiffness as identified on 2D transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) serves as a biomarker for the development of HFpEF in patients with diastolic dysfunction.

Methods: The study design is a matched retrospective case-control study.