Influence of the left ventricular types on QT intervals in hypertensive patients

To investigate the possible electrophysiological background of the greater excitability of concentric and eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy types in relation to the asymmetric type. Methods: 187 patients with essential hypertension, without ishaemic heart disease were divided into three groups with regard to left ventricule type: concentric (relative wall thickness >0.42, interventricular septum/left ventricular posterior wall ≤1.3), eccentric (left ventricular diameter in systoles >32, relative wall thickness <0.42), asymmetric left ventricular hypertrophy (interventricular septum/left ventricular posterior wall >1.3), and three subgroups: mild (interventricular septum or left ventricular posterior wall 11-12 mm), moderate (interventricular septum or left ventricular posterior wall 13-14 mm) and severe left ventricular hypertrophy (interventricular septum or left ventricular posterior wall ≥15 mm). In all patients QT intervals, QT dispersion, left ventricular mass index and ventricular arrhythmias were measured. An upper normal limit for QT corrected interval: 450/460 ms for men/women; for QT dispersion: 70 ms. Results: The QT corrected interval and QT dispersion were increased in severe concentric and eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy (443 and 480 ms for QT corrected; 53 and 45 ms for QT dispersion, respectively), not significantly. QT dispersion in men with severe left ventricular hyper - trophy was significantly enlarged (67.5 vs. 30 ms, p=0.047). QT interval was significantly longer in patients with complex ventricular arrhythmias (p=0.037). Conclusion: No significant association of QT intervals or QT dispersion with the degree/type of left ventricular hypertrophy was found. QT cor - rected interval and QT dispersion tend to increase proportionally to the left ventricular mass only in the concentric and eccentric type