Assessment of Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios in patients with acromegaly.

Background: Cardiovascular complications, including ventricular arrhythmias associated with abnormalities of ventricular repolarization, are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with acromegaly. Herein, we aimed to investigate ventricular repolarization using Tp-e interval, Tp-e interval/QT, and Tp-e interval/QTc ratios in acromegalic patients compared to healthy subjects.

Methods: A total of 29 patients (aged 51.9 ± 11.2, 65.5% women) with acromegaly and 30 control subjects (aged 47.3 ± 14.4, 63.3% women) were enrolled in the study. Tp-e and QT interval, corrected QT (QTc), Tp-e/QT, and Tp-e/QTc ratios were calculated from the 12-lead electrocardiogram.

Results: Tp-e interval (89.28 ± 12.16 vs. 75.97 ± 9.92 ms; p < 0.001), Tp-e/QT ratio (0.237 ± 0.045 vs. 0.212 ± 0.029; p = 0.019), and Tp-e/ QTc ratio (0.218 ± 0.031 vs. 0.195 ± 0.026; p = 0.003) were significantly higher in patients with acromegaly compared to control group. A positive correlation was determined between left atrial volume index (LAVI) and Tp-e interval (r = 0.272, p = 0.039).

Discussion: The current study is the first to have shown significantly increased Tp-e interval, Tp-e/QT ratio, and Tp-e/QTc ratio were increased in acromegalic patients. These results may be important for screening malignant arrhythmic events in acromegaly.