Prolonged QT interval in a man with anorexia nervosa
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Published on: June 20, 2020
María Dolores Macías-Robles1, Ana María Perez-Clemente, Carmen Maciá-Bobes
1Department of Emergencies, Hospital San Agustín, Avilés, Asturias, Spain. MDMACIAS@telefonica.net
Abstract:
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by the avoidance of food intake, which usually leads to a weight loss. Cardiac co-morbility is common and we can find sometimes a mass loss from the left ventricle, which can be seen by echocardiography. But the commonest complications are rhythm variations, typically bradycardia with a prolonged QT interval in up to a 40% of the cases, which altogether elevates ventricular tachycardia and sudden death risk. We present the case of a male who was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and developed asthenia, a long QT interval and also a severe both hypokalaemia and hypomagnesaemia. We intend to discuss the pathogenic paths as well as prophylactic and therapeutic measures to this potentially-lethal pathology.
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