Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
QT interval reflects depolarization and repolarization of the left ventricle, both QT interval and QT dispersion in surface 12 leads ECG of diabetic patients increase with progression of cardiac autonomic neuropathy(CAN) and this may lead to increase risk of dangerous dysrhythmias, it was found that there was association of this phenomenon with other complications of diabetes as ischemic heart disease and microalbuminuria.
OBJECTIVE:
To asses the relation of QTc and QTd to age ,duration of disease, gender, body mass index (BMI), and to presence of peripheral distal symmetrical sensory neuropathy.
METHODS:
A longtudinal study of 38 diabetic patients type 2 complaining of distal sensory neuropathy , 12 leads ECG done for all and QTc and QTd are measured with classical method, data collected from patients about age, gender, duration of diabetes and their weight and high for body mass index (BMI).
RESULTS:
The result of this study declare that the sample mean age is 46.18 years, mean duration of diabetes is 8.5 years, 57.9% are female , 42.1% male and 60% of them had BMI above 25 kg/m2. 31.6% of the patients had prolong QTc and 42.1% had prolong QTd. 50% of those over 50 years had prolond QTc and 85% of those over 40 years had prolong QTd inspite of that relation of prolongation to age is not significant statistically(P more than 0.05), while the relation of QT intervals to duration of disease is significant statistically, female gender show clear association to prolongation of both QTc and QTd which is significant statistically (P less than 0.05) and inspite of the relation of prolongation of QT intervals to increase in BMI but was not significant statistically.
CONCLUSION:
QTc and QTd prolongation is more common in diabetics who is complaining of symmetrical peripheral sensory neuropathy specially if duration of diabetes is more than 5 years and more in females than males.