title: Electrocardiographic abnormalities in treatment-naïve HIV subjects in south-east Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac complications of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are important causes of morbidity and mortality. We set out to determine the electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities in treatment-naïve HIV-positive patients in Enugu, south-east Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study involving 250 HIV-positive and 200 HIV-negative subjects. Demographic and anthropometric data, relevant investigations and ECG results were compared between the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An abnormal ECG was present in 70% of the HIV-positive patients, sinus bradycardia in 64%, QTC prolongation in 48%, T-wave inversion in 21.6%, Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome in 0.8%, abnormal P waves in 12.8%, 1stdegree heart block in 2.4%, ST depression in 30%, and left-axis deviation in 1.6%. Underweight was associated with ECG abnormalities (p = 0.001). The HIV-positive patients had more ECG abnormalities than the HIV-negative subjects (p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Electrocardiographic abnormalities were common in treatment-naïve HIV-positive patients in Enugu, Nigeria. The 70% prevalence of ECG abnormalities in treatment-naïve HIV-positive patients was high. There is a need to evaluate HIV-positive patients at onset for cardiac and non-cardiac abnormalities detectable by ECG.
authors.affiliation: Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Awka, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Innocent Chukwuemeka
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Okoye
authors.affiliation: Imo State University, Orlu, Nigeria. Email: enhealer@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ernest Ndukaife
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Anyabolu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors