QT dispersion in adult hypertensives.
Increased QT dispersion is associated with sudden cardiac death in congestive cardiac failure, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and following myocardial infarction. Patients with hypertension--in particular, those with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH)--are also at greater risk of sudden cardiac death. We examined whether QT dispersion, which is easily obtained from a routine ECG, correlates with LVH. One-hundred untreated patients with systemic hypertension and 78 normotensives had QT dispersion measured manually from a surface 12-lead electrocardiogram and two-dimensional echocardiography performed to measure interventricular septal thickness, posterior wall thickness and left ventricular internal diameter. Office blood pressure was also recorded. Multivariate analysis demonstrated significant relationships between QT dispersion and office systolic blood pressure, and left ventricular mass index. Manual measurement of QT dispersion might be a simple, noninvasive screening procedure to identify those hypertensives at greatest risk of sudden cardiac death in a third-world country.
Sani
Isa Muhammad
IM
muhds_isa@yahoo.com
Solomon
Danbauchi Sulei
DS
Imhogene
Oyati Albert
OA
Ahmad
Alhassan Muhammad
AM
Bala
Garko Sani
GS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D012307:Risk Factors