Increased QT Interval Dispersion Predicts 15-Year Cardiovascular Mortality in Type 2 Diabetic Subjects: The population-based Casale Monferrato Study

• Published in: Diabetes care Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 581 - 583
• Main Authors: Giunti, Sara, Gruden, Gabriella, Fornengo, Paolo, Barutta, Federica, Amione, Cristina, Ghezzo, Giuseppe, Cavallo-Perin, Paolo, Bruno, Graziella
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria, VA American Diabetes Association 01.03.2012
• Subjects: Analysis; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Arrhythmias, Cardiac - mortality; Arrhythmias, Cardiac - physiopathology; Bias; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality; Cardiovascular Diseases - physiopathology; Clinics; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - mortality; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - physiopathology; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Female; Health aspects; Humans; Male; Medical research; Medical sciences; Medicine, Experimental; Metabolic diseases; Miscellaneous; Mortality; Multivariate Analysis; noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus; Original Research; patients; physiopathology; Prospective Studies; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Studies; Endocrinopathy; Heart; Type 2 diabetes; Human; QT interval; Nutrition; Prediction; Metabolic diseases; Cardiovascular disease; Statistical study; Dispersion; Electrodiagnosis; Autonomic nervous system; Electrocardiography; Circulatory system; Endocrinology
• ISSN: 0149-5992; 1935-5548; 1935-5548
• DOI: 10.2337/dc11-1397

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the predictive role of increased corrected QT (QTc) and QT interval dispersion (QTd) on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in a large, unselected type 2 diabetic population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The prospective study included 1,357 type 2 diabetic patients from the Casale Monferrato Study. At baseline, QTc intervals >0.44 s and QTd intervals >0.08 s were considered abnormally prolonged. Both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were assessed 15 years after the baseline examination. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 862 subjects per 12,450 person-years died. Multivariate analysis showed that the hazard ratio (HR) of cardiovascular mortality was significantly increased in subjects with prolonged QTd (1.26 [95% CI 1.02–1.55]) and was only slightly reduced after multiple adjustments. Conversely, prolonged QTc did not increase the HRs for all-cause or cardiovascular mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Increased QTd predicts cardiovascular mortality after a long-term follow-up period in a large, unselected population of type 2 diabetic subjects.