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Review: Diabetes and the QT interval: time for debate

QE2 Hospital, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 4HQ, UK, rajeevsr{at}hotmail.com

Miles Fisher

Department of Diabetes, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, G4 0SF, UK

Peter W Macfarlane

University of Glasgow, Division of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, G31 2ER, UK

The electrocardiographic QT interval has been extensively studied in ischaemic heart disease. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the relationship between diabetes and QT abnormalities. QT prolongation and increased QTd have been shown to predict cardiac death in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although there is general agreement that QT interval is affected by cardiac ischaemia, the effect of hyperglycaemia on QT measures is controversial. There are also problems surrounding QTd. First, there is controversy as to whether the measure has any physiological meaning; secondly, there is no universally accepted method of measurement and hence no consensus about the upper limit of normal. Nevertheless, several studies have shown increased QTd in diabetic patients suggesting that assessment of the QT interval could be a cost effective way of stratifying aggressive treatment could be directed appropriately to such patients according to cardiovascular risk so that improve outcome.

Key Words: diabetes mellitus • QT prolongation • QT dispersion.

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The British Journal of Diabetes & Vascular Disease, Vol. 4, No. 3, 146-150 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/14746514040040030201


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This Article Abstract Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Kumar, R. Articles by Macfarlane, P. W Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?