Spatial QRS-T angle: association with diabetes and left ventricular performance.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Diabetology
• Medical Technology

Background:

• The spatial QRS-T angle, a vectorcardiography measure, reflects cardiac electrical activity and predicts cardiovascular outcomes.
• Diabetes mellitus, particularly type 2, is associated with repolarization and depolarization abnormalities.
• No prior studies have investigated the impact of diabetes on the spatial QRS-T angle.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare spatial QRS-T angle values between type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic individuals.
• To explore the relationship between spatial QRS-T angle and left ventricular performance in type 2 diabetes.
• To assess the association between spatial QRS-T angle and glycemic control (HbA1c) in diabetic patients.

Main Methods:

• Utilized vectorcardiography derived from 12-lead ECGs to reconstruct spatial QRS-T angle.
• Employed M-mode and Doppler echocardiography to assess left ventricular mass and performance.
• Included 74 type 2 diabetic patients and 74 matched non-diabetic controls, all free of macrovascular complications.

Main Results:

• Diabetic subjects exhibited nearly a 2-fold higher spatial QRS-T angle compared to non-diabetic controls (P < 0.001).
• In diabetic individuals, spatial QRS-T angle was independently associated with HbA1c (P = 0.03) and Tei index (P = 0.003).
• In non-diabetic individuals, spatial QRS-T angle correlated with age (P = 0.01), HbA1c (P = 0.003), and LDL cholesterol (P = 0.04).

Conclusions:

• Subjects with type 2 diabetes demonstrate significantly elevated spatial QRS-T angles.
• The spatial QRS-T angle in diabetics is associated with glycemic control and left ventricular function.
• Further prospective studies are needed to determine the prognostic significance of increased spatial QRS-T angles in diabetes.