title: Atrial electromechanical delay analysed by tissue Doppler echocardiography is prolonged in patients with generalised anxiety disorders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been shown that psychological status is associated with the likelihood of atrial fibrillation (AF). Prolongation of the duration of atrial electromechanical delay (AEMD) is known to be a precursor for AF development.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Therefore, we aimed to evaluate AEMD in patients with anxiety disorder.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this prospective study, a total of 82 anxiety disorder and 80 healthy subjects were enrolled. Symptoms of anxiety were evaluated by using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A). P-wave dispersion (PWD) was measured on a 12-lead electrocardiogram. Both intra- and inter-AEMD were measured with tissue Doppler imaging.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Basal characteristics were similar between the two groups. PWD, inter- and right intra-AEMD were significantly prolonged in patients with anxiety disorders, compared to the control group (p < 0.05). In the correlation analysis, HAM-A was significantly and moderately correlated with right intra- and inter-AEMD, and PWD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients suffering from anxiety disorders are characterised by prolonged AEMD, which can provide significant contributions to evaluate the risk for AF development in this group.
authors.affiliation: Ankara Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, Turkey. foksuz_42@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oksuz
authors.forename: Mikail
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yarlioglues
authors.forename: Selcuk
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.forename: Fatma Duygu
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Esra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oksuz
authors.forename: Sani Namık
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Murat
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Turak
authors.forename: Ibrahim Etem
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.forename: Alparslan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kilic
authors.forename: Alparslan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurtul
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: anxiety disorders; atrial electromechanical delay; atrial fibrillation; tissue Doppler imaging