P.3. Basic Science, Sudden Death Risk Stratification and Ventricular Arrhythmias: P.3.18 QT Dynamicity Increases in Behcet Disease

It has been known that there are some subclinical abnormalities of cardiac repolarization and autonomic nervous system (ANS) in patients with Behcet's Disease. QT dynamicity can be defined as the variations of QT duration under physiologic conditions, with the main influences on QT dynamicity being heart rate and ANS balance. It is a useful noninvasive tool for evaluating the autonomic control and repolarization of the heart. In this study we have investigated cardiac repolarization and ANS function in patients with Behcet's disease by using QT dynamicity

Twenty seven patients with Behcet's Disease without obvious cardiac and autonomic neuropathic findings were enrolled in this study (13 female, 14 male, mean age 36±11 years). The control group was composed of 14 women and 13 men with a mean age of 38±13 years. All patients had undergone 24-hour Holter electrocardiographic recordings and transthorasic echocardiography. The ELATEC holter software computed and provided the slope of linear regressions (qtend/RR and qtapex/RR).

There were no significant differences with respect to sex distribution, age, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and left ventricular ejection fraction. Qtend/RR and qtapex/RR slope were increased in patients with Behcet's disease compared to control subjects (qtend/RR: 0.19±0.05, 0.15±0.04, p=0.002; qtapex/RR: 0.21±0.06, 0.15±0.03, p<0.001).

1. Our data suggest that patients with Behcet's disease may have asymptomatic cardiac repolarization abnormalities and ANS dysfunction. 2, QT dynamicity may be used as a noninvasive method for assessment of cardiac repolarization and ANS dysfunction in patients with Behcet's Disease.