title: Does any correlation exist between a high plasma digoxin concentration and an electrocardiogram in younger and older patients.
abstract: In a group of 152 elderly patients (age range between 65 to 92 years) and 54 patients (aged 35 to 64 years) plasma digoxin level measuring 2.5-6.2 nmol/1 were correlated with the clinical symptoms and the electrocardiogram. The conduction disturbances and arrhythmias as well as the P-R interval, P-T-Q index and corrected Q-T interval in the ECG were analyzed. The clinical symptoms of hypersaturation with digitalis were present in 54.6% of the elderly and 35.2% of the younger patients. Conduction disturbances were found in 42% of the elderly and 22.2% of the younger patients, while arrhythmias appeared in 40.1% of the elderly and 31.5% of the younger ones. 17.8% of the elderly and 46.3% of the younger patients were without these changes. The correlation between P-R interval and high plasma digoxin level in the elderly (p < 0.01) and younger patients (p < 0.05), as well as between the P-T-Q index and high plasma digoxin level in the elderly (p < 0.01) was found. There was no correlation between the corrected Q-T interval and high plasma digoxin level in both groups. No correlation was found between a high plasma digoxin level and serum creatinine level in both groups, neither between a high plasma digoxin level and serum potassium level in both groups. The effect of digitalis has not been shown to be a cause of specific changes in an electrocardiogram neither in the elderly nor in younger patients. However, the association between prolonged P-R interval as well as changes in the P-T-Q index and high plasma digoxin level has been found more often in the elderly than in the younger patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Rebro University Hospital, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Duraković
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Duraković
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duraković
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D004077:Digoxin / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011188:Potassium / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004077:Digoxin; D003404:Creatinine; D011188:Potassium