N. Tentolouris et al., CORRECTED QT INTERVAL IN RELATION TO THE SEVERITY OF DIABETIC AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY, European journal of clinical investigation, 27(12), 1997, pp. 1049-1054
Citations number
37
Categorie Soggetti
Medicine, Research & Experimental","Medicine, General & Internal
The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent the existence
of objective signs of diabetic autonomic neuropathy affects the correc
ted QT interval (QTc) in diabetic subjects. A total of 105 diabetic su
bjects (type 1, n = 53; type 2, n = 52) as well as 40 matched (by age
and sex) control subjects were studied. All subjects underwent the bat
tery of five Ewing tests. Autonomic neuropathy was diagnosed if two of
the five tests were abnormal. In addition, the result of each test wa
s considered as normal (grade = 0), borderline (grade = I) or abnormal
(grade = 2), and on the basis of the sum of the scores we calculated
a total score for autonomic neuropathy. The QTc interval was measured
at rest, and a value > 440 ms was considered abnormal. The QTc interva
l was significantly more prolonged in diabetic persons with autonomic
neuropathy than in those without neutopathy and in control subjects: 4
08.4 +/- 24.2 ms vs. 394.6 +/- 27.9 ms and 393.6 +/- 25.5 ms respectiv
ely (P = 0001). Furthermore, multivariate analysis controlling for age
, sex, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), w
aist-hip ratio (WHR), smoking, type and duration of diabetes, type of
treatment, HBA(1c) and total score of autonomic neuropathy eliminated
the role of all these factors as potential confounders except for the
total score of autonomic neuropathy, which was found to affect QTc int
erval independently and significantly (P = 0.012). In summary, the pre
sent study confirmed the well-known relation between autonomic neuropa
thy and QTc interval; in addition, it showed that QTc prolongation is
associated with major degrees of autonomic neuropathy.