title: Atrial electromechanical coupling interval and P-wave dispersion in patients with white coat hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of white coat hypertension (WCH) to atrial conduction abnormalities by electrocardiographic P-wave analysis and echocardiographic electromechanical coupling (EMC) interval measurement.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study consisted of sex-, age-, and body mass index-matched 24 patients with WCH, 24 patients with sustained hypertension (SH), and 24 subjects with normotension (NT). The difference between the maximum (Pmax) and minimum P-wave durations on 12-lead electrocardiography was defined as P-wave dispersion (PD). Intra- and inter-atrial EMC were measured by tissue Doppler imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pmax and PD of subjects with WCH were significantly higher than those of normotensives and lower than those of patients with SH. Inter-atrial EMC and left atrial EMC values of WCH group were intermediate between NT and SH groups. There was a significant correlation between left atrial diameter, PD, Pmax, left ventricle mass index, left atrial EMC, and inter-atrial EMC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  White coat hypertension is an intermediate group between SH and NT in terms of atrial electromechanical abnormalities which may be associated with the risk of atrial fibrillation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kirikkale University, Kırıkkale, Turkey. nesligul2004@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Nesligül
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.forename: Vedat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Simsek
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tulmac
authors.forename: Haksun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ebinc
authors.forename: Mehmet Tolga
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Dogru
authors.forename: Caglar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alp
authors.forename: Özkan
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Agrali
authors.forename: Yunus
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: Ozer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Eser
authors.forename: Vahit
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Demir
authors.forename: Fadime
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Simsek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059466:White Coat Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult