Related Experiment Videos
Cardiovascular risk factors and electrographical characteristics and abnormalities in middle-aged males
L Lind1, J Sundström, H Lithell
1Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
Objectives:
To evaluate if characteristics and abnormalities found at the electrocardiogram (ECG) are related to common cardiovascular risk factors included in the insulin-resistance metabolic syndrome.
Design:
Cross-sectional.
Setting:
Tertiary university hospital.
Subjects:
Over 2000 middle-aged males in whom ECG abnormalities were recorded, together with ECG characteristics measured in a random sample of men with no ECG abnormalities (n = 113).
Interventions:
None.
Results:
All three components of the metabolic syndrome; elevated blood pressure, dyslipidaemia and hyperinsulinaemia were found to be related to the heart rate (P < 0.002) and the QRS-duration (P < 0.01) and inversely to the QoT-interval (P < 0.05), the early diastolic phase (P < 0.05) and the T-wave amplitude (P < 0.02). The components of the metabolic syndrome was furthermore found to be associated with the occurrence of T-wave abnormalities (n = 64, P < 0.01) and to a lesser degree also to the occurrence of Q-waves (n = 21).
Conclusions:
The components of the insulin-resistance metabolic syndrome were related both to certain ECG characteristics in subjects with a normal ECG and to some ECG abnormalities. A raised sympathetic activity is likely to be the link between some of the described associations, whilst coronary heart diseases may explain others.