Long QT syndrome in African-Americans.
BACKGROUND
We evaluated the risk factors and clinical course of Long QT syndrome (LQTS) in African-American patients.


METHODS
The study involved 41 African-Americans and 3456 Caucasians with a QTc > or = 450 ms from the U.S. portion of the International LQTS Registry. Data included information about the medical history and clinical course of the LQTS patients with end points relating to the occurrence of syncope, aborted cardiac arrest, or LQTS-related sudden cardiac death from birth through age 40 years. The statistical analyses involved Kaplan-Meier time to event graphs and Cox regression models for multivariable risk factor evaluation.


RESULTS
The QTc was 29 ms longer in African-Americans than Caucasians. Multivarite Cox analyses with adjustment for decade of birth revealed that the cardiac event rate was similar in African-Americans and Caucasians with LQTS and that beta-blockers were equally effective in reducing cardiac events in the two racial groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical course of LQTS in African-Americans is similar to that of Caucasians with comparable risk factors and benefit from beta-blocker therapy in the two racial groups.
Cardiology Division of the Department of Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642-8653, USA.
Thomas
T
Fugate
Arthur J
AJ
Moss
Christian
C
Jons
Scott
S
McNitt
Jamie
J
Mullally
Gregory
G
Ouellet
Ilan
I
Goldenberg
Wojciech
W
Zareba
Jennifer L
JL
Robinson
D000293:Adolescent; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008133:Long QT Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D013575:Syncope / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists