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ECG abnormalities found in patients with lupus, without CVD
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In a cohort of 487 patients with lupus but without cardiovascular disease, 21.4% had electrocardiogram-4 abnormalities and 24.2% had electrocardiogram-5 abnormalities, according to recently published data.
“The high prevalence of [electrocardiogram-4] ECG-4 and ECG-5 in this study of [systemic lupus erythematosus] SLE patients without documented cardiovascular disease suggests that baseline (and possibly follow-up sequential) ECG may be a useful non-invasive SLE screening tool for evaluation and identification of SLE patients at increased risk for cardiovascular events with relatively minimal cost burden,” Hanan Al Rayes, MD, at Toronto Western Hospital and the University of Toronto, and colleagues wrote.
Al Rayes and colleagues performed a 12-lead resting supine ECG on 487 consecutive patients with lupus. They defined ECG-4 as the presence of at least one of the following elements: ST-segment or T-wave abnormalities; left ventricular hypertrophy; left axis deviation; and left bundle branch block. ECG-5 was those elements with the addition of the Q-wave.
Researchers found 21.4% of patients had one or more ECG-4 and 24.2% had one or more ECG-5 elements. They also found a higher prevalence of ECG-cardiovascular disease in patients with longer lupus disease duration. In addition, ECG-4 and ECG-5 were associated with increased age, active disease and damage.
“SLE is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and therefore early identification of those SLE patients at increased risk for premature cardiovascular disease is crucial to the development and implementation of effective prevention strategies in this population,” the researchers wrote. – by Will Offit
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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