Relation of QT interval dispersion to the number of different cardiac abnormalities in diabetes mellitus

Bushra S Rana, Margaret M Band, Simon Ogston, Andrew D Morris, Stuart D Pringle, Allan D Struthers

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    44 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Three studies have clearly shown that a prolonged QT dispersion (QTD) is the best predictor of cardiac death in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). This was originally believed to be because QTD identified electrical inhomogeneity, but recent data suggests that this is unlikely. The alternative possibility is that QTD is a convenient identifier of hidden but lethal cardiac abnormalities. We explored whether the latter possibility is true by examining exactly what spectrum of cardiac abnormalities, if any, are over-represented in diabetics with a prolonged QTD. Two hundred nineteen patients with type 2 DM who had been first diagnosed with DM 3 to 6 years previously underwent intensive cardiac examinations. Patients with prolonged QTD had a significantly increased incidence of myocardial ischemia and left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, and to a lesser extent, autonomic dysfunction. The main independent determinant of a prolonged QTD was ischemia, as seen on both ambulatory ST-segment monitoring (p
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)483-487
    Number of pages5
    JournalAmerican Journal of Cardiology
    Volume90
    Issue number5
    Publication statusPublished - 2002

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