title: Invited commentary: sex-steroid hormones and QT-interval duration.
abstract: In this issue of the Journal, Zhang et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2011;174(4):403-411) make a substantial contribution to research in the area of hormonal influences on cardiac repolarization by demonstrating an inverse association between testosterone levels and the Bazett's adjusted QT interval (QTc) and RR-adjusted QT interval in men but not in postmenopausal women. They suggest that testosterone levels might explain the difference in QTc-interval duration between men and women and could contribute to population variability in QTc-interval duration among men. In this commentary, the gender difference and the role of testosterone in human cardiac repolarization are addressed. In addition, the gender differences in the congenital long-QT syndrome, drug-induced ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. c.vannoord@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Noord
authors.forename: Eline M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Rodenburg
authors.forename: Bruno H C
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Stricker
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008133:Long QT Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D017698:Postmenopause; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D013739:Testosterone