[Brain-heart interaction: a controlled prospective study of the electrocardiographic disorders in 100 consecutive patients with acute ischemic cerebrovascular pathology].
We carried out a prospective clinical study in 100 patients with cerebral infarctions (Cl) (56 lacunar and 44 nonlacunar infarctions) and in a control group (n = 100) without organic cerebrovascular disease to evaluate the electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities. 72% of the Cl and 38% of the control group had ECG abnormalities (p less than 0.0001). These abnormalities were significantly more common (p less than 0.001) at the beginning of the disease (72%) than three weeks after the development of focal neurological symptoms (54%). The major ECG findings were abnormal ventricular repolarization (changes in the ST segment and the T wave), prolonged Q-Tc interval, and U waves. Atrial fibrillation was significantly more common (p less than 0.03) in nonlacunar infarctions (18%) than in lacunar infarctions (2%) and in the control group (5%). Regarding the topography of the lesions, abnormalities of ECG were found in 80% of hemispheric infarctions, in 66% of the infarcts of basal ganglia, and in 73% of brainstem infarctions. In Cl, ECG abnormalities are common. They may be reversible, and some of them are usually correlated with the type of Cl and with the involved brain topography.
Arboix
A
A
Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Central La Alianza, Barcelona.
Alió
J
J
D000208:Acute Disease; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
Interacción cerebro-corazón: estudio prospectivo controlado de los trastornos electrocardiográficos en 100 enfermos consecutivos con patología vascular cerebral isquémica aguda.