title: Late potentials and ventricular arrhythmias in acromegaly.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sudden death and increased prevalence of ventricular arrhythmias have already been described in acromegaly. Although late potentials (LPs) have been proved to be a new technique in detecting patients at risk for ventricular tachyarrhythmias its use in acromegaly is still unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 70 acromegalic patients [32 males, 38 females; age 49+/-12 years (mean+/-S.D.)] and 70 control subjects age- and sex-matched [(35 males and 35 females; 46+/-12 years (mean+/-S.D.)]. Besides hormonal tests, we performed the following cardiovascular investigations: ECG, 24-h ECG Holter monitoring, echocardiography, and signal-averaged ECG (SAECG) time-domain analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LPs occurrence was significantly higher in acromegalic patients as compared to the control group (22.9% vs. 2.9%; p=0.001). A greater duration of disease in patients with positive LPs compared to negative ones was pointed out (18 vs. 12 years; p=0.024). In the group of acromegalic patients with positive LPs we observed a significant association with premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) detected by means of 24-h Holter ECG recording (13 out of 15 patients: 86.7%; p=0.024). The positivity or negativity of LPs proved to be significantly associated with Lown scale PVC trends recorded by 24-h Holter ECG (p=0.014). In the group of patients with left ventricular hypertrophy a significant and pathological worsening of SAECG signals (QRS, LAS, RMS) was documented.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed a higher prevalence of LPs in acromegaly which significantly correlated with Lown scale of PVCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University School of Medicine, Clinica Medica 3, Via Giustiniani 2, 35100 Padua, Italy. pietro.maffei@libero.it
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maffei
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milanesi
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corfini
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mioni
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Carlo
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Menegazzo
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scanarini
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vettor
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Federspil
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sicolo
mesh_terms: D000172:Acromegaly / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000200:Action Potentials; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology; D004452:Echocardiography; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000503:physiopathology; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013575:Syncope / Q000503:physiopathology; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D018879:Ventricular Premature Complexes / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I