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Evaluation of Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio, and Tp-e/QTc ratio in patients with Behçet's disease
Şıho Hidayet1, Vahit Demir2, Yaşar Turan2
1Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, İnönü University; Malatya-Turkey.
Insights
Patients with Behçet's disease (BD) show prolonged ventricular repolarization markers, including the Tp-e interval and Tp-e/QT ratios. These findings suggest subclinical cardiac involvement and increased risk for ventricular arrhythmias in BD patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Electrophysiology
- Rheumatology
Background:
- Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystemic inflammatory disorder linked to cardiovascular issues like ventricular arrhythmias.
- The precise mechanisms driving increased ventricular arrhythmia risk in BD remain unclear.
- Investigating specific electrocardiographic markers may elucidate cardiac involvement in BD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate ventricular repolarization using Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio, and Tp-e/QTc ratio in BD patients.
- To identify potential electrocardiographic markers for predicting ventricular arrhythmias in Behçet's disease.
Main Methods:
- Compared electrocardiographic parameters in 42 BD patients and 50 healthy controls.
- Measured Tp-e interval, QT, QTc, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios.
- Assessed correlations between these markers and disease duration.
Main Results:
- BD patients exhibited significantly higher QTmax, QTcmax, QTmin, and QTcmin compared to controls.
- Tp-e, cTp-e, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios were significantly elevated in the BD group.
- A positive correlation was observed between Tp-e/QTc ratio and BD disease duration.
Conclusions:
- Prolonged Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios in BD patients suggest impaired ventricular repolarization.
- These findings indicate potential early, subclinical cardiac involvement in Behçet's disease.
- BD patients warrant closer screening for ventricular arrhythmias, especially with longer disease duration.
Objective:
Behçet's disease (BD), a multisystemic inflammatory disorder, has been associated with a number of cardiovascular dysfunctions, including ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. The mechanism of increased ventricular arrhythmias in BD remains uncertain. The aim of the present study was to assess the ventricular repolarization by using the Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio, and Tp-e/QTc ratio as candidate markers of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with BD.
Methods:
A total of 42 patients (mean age: 42.71±10.99 years) with BD and 50 sex- and age-matched healthy volunteers (mean age: 39.24±11.32 years) as the control group were evaluated. The risk of ventricular arrhythmia was evaluated by calculating the electrocardiographic, the Tp-e interval, and the QT, QTc, Tp e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios.
Results:
QTmax (p=0.005), QTcmax (p=0.015), QTmin (p=0.011), and QTcmin (p=0.024) were statistically significantly higher in the BD group than in the control group. The Tp-e, cTp-e, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios were also significantly higher in patients with BD than in the control group (80.26±4.55 and 74.74±6.47, respectively, p<0.001; 88.23±6.36 and 82.68±7.81, respectively, p<0.001; 0.21±0.01 and 0.20±0.01, respectively, p=0.008; and 0.19±0.01 and 0.18±0.01, respectively, p=0.01). Positive correlations were found between Tp-e/QTc ratio and disease duration (r=0.382, p=0.013).
Conclusion:
Our study showed that the Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio, and Tp-e/QTc ratio, which are evaluated electrocardiographically in patients with BD, have been prolonged compared with normal healthy individuals. A positive correlation was determined between disease duration and Tp-e/QTc ratio. These results may be indicative of an early subclinical cardiac involvement in patients with BD, considering the duration of the disease. Therefore, these patients should be more closely screened for ventricular arrhythmias.