Relationship between QT Interval Length and Arterial Stiffness in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): A

Ricardo Rivera-López1, Juan Jiménez-Jáimez1, José Mario Sabio2

  • 1Cardiology Clinical Management Unit, Granada University Hospitals; Granada Institute of Biohealth Research.Granada. Spain.

Plos One
|April 12, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients have prolonged QT intervals, which correlate with subclinical atherosclerosis. This finding may aid cardiovascular risk stratification in SLE management.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Rheumatology
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with a longer QT interval compared to the general population.
  • The clinical significance of prolonged QT intervals in SLE remains unclear.
  • Subclinical atherosclerosis is a known risk factor for cardiovascular events.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between QT interval and subclinical atherosclerosis in SLE patients.
  • To assess if QT interval can serve as a marker for subclinical atherosclerosis in SLE.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 93 SLE patients and 109 healthy controls.
  • Electrocardiograms were used to measure the corrected QT interval (QTc) via Bazett's formula.
  • Carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity (PWV) was employed to evaluate subclinical atherosclerosis.

Main Results:

  • SLE patients exhibited a significantly longer QTc interval (415 ± 21.4 ms) than controls (407 ± 19.1 ms).
  • A positive correlation was found between QTc interval and PWV in SLE patients (r = 0.235; p = 0.02).
  • This association remained significant after adjusting for hypertension and age in multivariate analysis.

Conclusions:

  • Prolonged QTc interval in SLE patients is linked to subclinical atherosclerosis.
  • QTc interval measurement may assist in cardiovascular risk stratification for SLE patients.
  • Identifying patients who could benefit from aggressive cardiovascular prevention strategies.
Abstract

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