title: Association of Serum n-3/n-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Ratio With T-Wave Alternans in Patients With Ischemic Heart Disease.
abstract: Several studies have demonstrated that oral intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), prevents ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT) with ischemic heart disease, but the underlying mechanisms still remain unclear. Thus, we examined the relation between the serum EPA/arachidonic acid (AA) ratio and electrophysiological properties in patients with ischemic heart disease. The study subjects consisted of 57 patients (46 males, mean age, 66 ± 13 years) with ischemic heart disease. T-wave alternans (TWA) and heart rate variability were assessed by 24hour Holter ECG, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was determined by echocardiography. Fasting blood samples were collected, and the serum EPA/AA ratio was determined. Based on a median value of the serum EPA/AA ratio, all subjects were divided into two groups: serum EPA/AA ratio below 0.33 (Group-L, n = 28) or not (Group-H, n = 29). We compared these parameters between the two groups. LVEF was not different between the two groups. The maximum value of TWA was significantly higher in Group-L than in Group-H (69.5 ± 22.8 μV versus 48.7 ± 12.0 μV, P = 0.007). In addition, VT defined as above 3 beats was observed in 7 cases (25%) in Group-L, but there were no cases of VT in Group-H (P = 0.004). However, low-frequency (LF) component, high-frequency (HF) component, LF to HF ratio, and standard deviation of all R-R intervals were not different between the two groups. These results suggest that a low EPA/AA ratio may induce cardiac electrical instability, but not autonomic nervous imbalance, associated with VT in patients with ischemic heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology and Hematology, Fukushima Medical University.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nodera
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamioka
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaneshiro
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamiyama
authors.forename: Yasuchika
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takeishi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac / Q000379:methods; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D005260:Female; D005936:Glucans; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D005936:Glucans; C439358:alternan; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid