title: Quantitative electrocardiographic and vectorcardiographic study on newly-diagnosed non-insulin-dependent diabetic and non-diabetic control subjects.
abstract: Quantitative electrocardiographic (ECG) and vectorcardiographic (VCG) analysis was carried out in 113 newly diagnosed, middle-aged, non-insulin-dependent diabetics (61 men, 52 women) and 125 non-diabetic control subjects (56 men, 69 women) in order to explore changes attributable to non-coronary heart disease (diabetic cardiomyopathy) in diabetics. Diabetic men had a prolonged PQ interval and women a more negative P-terminal force and a more leftward frontal QRS axis than their non-diabetic counterparts, but no other significant differences we found between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects in various quantitative ECG and VCG variables when the effect of confounding factors (age, obesity, coronary heart disease, hypertension, drugs) was taken into account. The more negative P-terminal force and left axis deviation in diabetic women could be explained by a concomitant left ventricular hypertrophy among them. Non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes, which is commonly preceded by a long duration of asymptomatic hyperglycaemia, is not associated, early in its clinical course, with major ECG and VCG abnormalities suggestive of diabetic cardiomyopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uusitupa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mustonen
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Siitonen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pyörälä
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014672:Vectorcardiography