title: QT interval in CKD and haemodialysis patients.
abstract: Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Although about half of the deaths are due to CV causes, only a minority are directly linked to myocardial infarction and it is estimated that cardiac arrest or cardiac arrhythmias account for about a quarter of all deaths registered in dialysis patients. Thus, simple non-invasive tools such as electrocardiogram (ECG) may detect those patients at increased risk for arrhythmias. The QT interval on the standard 12-lead ECG is the time from ventricular depolarization (Q wave onset) to cardiac repolarization completion (end of the T wave) and represents a marker of cardiac repolarization defects. Numerous studies suggest a direct association between QT abnormalities and poor prognosis in the general population, CKD patients and dialysis patients. Of note, multivariable adjustments for different traditional and CKD-specific risk factors for CV events attenuate but do not cancel these associations. We herein review the clinical significance of simple non-invasive tools such as the QT tract on ECG for detecting those patients at increased risk of CV event and possibly for treatment individualization.
authors.affiliation: UOC of Nephrology , 'A Landolfi' Hospital , Solofra ( AV ), Italy.
authors.forename: Biagio
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Di Iorio
authors.affiliation: UOC of Nephrology , 'Sant'Anna' Hospital , Como , Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellasi
keywords: QT interval; chronic kidney disease; dialysis; morbidity; mortality