Is diastolic dysfunction associated with atrial electrocardiographic parameters in Behçet's disease?

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Rheumatology
• Vascular Medicine

Background:

• Behçet's disease (BD) significantly impacts the vascular system, potentially causing heart failure through diastolic dysfunction.
• Early detection of cardiac involvement in BD is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in BD patients using novel echocardiographic parameters.
• To investigate the correlation between these echocardiographic findings and atrial electrocardiographic (ECG) indices, specifically P-wave dispersion (PD).

Main Methods:

• Compared 31 BD patients with 31 healthy controls.
• Utilized conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography to evaluate LV diastolic function.
• Calculated P-wave dispersion (PD) from 12-lead surface ECGs.

Main Results:

• BD patients exhibited impaired diastolic function, evidenced by lower E/A and Em/Am ratios, and higher E/Em ratio and left atrial volume index (LAVi).
• BD patients showed significantly higher P-wave duration (P max) and P-wave dispersion (PD).
• PD positively correlated with BD duration, LAVi, and E/Em ratio, while negatively correlating with E/A and Em/Am ratios.

Conclusions:

• Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction is prevalent in Behçet's disease patients.
• P-wave abnormalities, specifically increased P-wave dispersion, are associated with diastolic dysfunction in BD.