title: Electrocardiographic features of patients with earthquake related posttraumatic stress disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze electrocardiographic features of patients diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the Van-Erciş earthquake, with a shock measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale that took place in Turkey in October 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  Surface electrocardiograms of 12 patients with PTSD admitted to Van Erciş State Hospital (Van, Turkey) from February 2012 to May 2012 were examined. Psychiatric interviews of the sex and age matched control subjects, who had experienced the earthquake, confirmed the absence of any known diagnosable psychiatric conditions in the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A wide range of electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters, such as P-wave dispersion, QT dispersion, QT interval, Tpeak to Tend interval, intrinsicoid deflection durations and other traditional parameters were similar in both groups. There was no one with an abnormal P wave axis, short or long PR interval, long or short QT interval, negative T wave in lateral leads, abnormal T wave axis, abnormal left or right intrinsicoid deflection duration, low voltage, left bundle branch block, right bundle branch block, left posterior hemiblock, left or right axis deviation, left ventricular hypertrophy, right or left atrial enlargement and pathological q(Q) wave in either group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study showed no direct effect of earthquake related PTSD on surface ECG in young patients. So, we propose that PTSD has no direct effect on surface ECG but may cause electrocardiographic changes indirectly by triggering atherosclerosis and/or contributing to the ongoing atherosclerotic process.
authors.affiliation: Erkan İlhan, Abdullah Kaplan, Department of Cardiology, Van Erciş State Hospital, 65400 Van, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erkan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ilhan
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Tolga Sinan
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Güvenç
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biteker
authors.forename: Evindar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karabulut
authors.forename: Serhan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Işıklı
keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Earthquake; Electrocardiogram; Posttraumatic stress disorder
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