title: Atrial Electromechanical Properties in Coeliac Disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Coeliac disease (CD) is an autoimmune and inflammatory disorder of the small intestine. There is reasonable evidence linking inflammation to the initiation and continuation of atrial fibrillation (AF) in inflammatory conditions. Atrial electro-mechanic delay (EMD) was suggested as an early marker of AF in previous studies. The objectives of this study were to evaluate atrial electromechanical properties measured by tissue Doppler imaging and simultaneous electrocardiography (ECG) tracing in patients with CD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine patients with coeliac disease (CD), and 26 healthy volunteers, matched for age and sex, were enrolled in the study. Atrial electromechanical properties were measured by using transthoracic echocardiography and surface ECG. Interatrial electro-mechanic delay (EMD), left intraatrial EMD, right intratrial EMD were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no difference between CD patients and healthy volunteers in terms of basal characteristics. Patients with CD had significantly prolonged left and right intraatrial EMDs, and interatrial EMD compared to healthy controls (p= 0.03, p= 0.02, p<0.0001, respectively). Interatrial EMD was positively correlated with age, disease duration, anti-gliadin IgG, anti-endomysium and disease status. In multiple linear regression, interatrial EMD was independently associated with disease duration, anti-endomysium and disease status after adjusting for age and sex.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the present study, atrial EMDs were found significantly higher in patients with CD compared with healthy individuals. Measurement of atrial EMD parameters might be used to predict the risk of development of AF in patients with CD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Diskapi Education and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: medisay@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Tolga Han
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Efe
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Ankara Ataturk Education and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet Goktug
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Ertem
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Diskapi Education and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Yusuf
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Coskun
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Diskapi Education and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bilgin
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Diskapi Education and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Engin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Algul
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Diskapi Education and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Beton
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Diskapi Education and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Lale Dinc
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Asarcikli
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Diskapi Education and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erat
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Diskapi Education and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ayturk
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Diskapi Education and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ilhami
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yuksel
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Diskapi Education and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ekrem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yeter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D004562:Electrocardiography; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: Atrial electromechanical delay; Atrial fibrillation; Coeliac disease