%0 Journal Article
%T QTc interval prolongation in HIV-infected patients: a case¨Ccontrol study by 24-hour Holter ECG recording
%A Fiorentini Alessandra
%A Petrosillo Nicola
%A Di Stefano Angelo
%A Cicalini Stefania
%J BMC Cardiovascular Disorders
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2261-12-124
%X Background Aim of the study was to assess QTc interval by a 24-hour ECG recording in a group of HIV-infected individuals with a basal prolonged QTc. The risk factors associated with QTc prolongation and the indices of cardiovascular autonomic control were also evaluated. Methods A case¨Ccontrol study was performed using as cases 32 HIV-infected patients with prolonged (>440 msec) QTc interval as assessed by Holter ECG, and as controls 64 HIV-infected subjects with normal QTc interval. Autonomic function was evaluated by heart rate variability analysis during 24-hour recording. Results Duration of HIV disease was significantly longer among cases than among controls (p=0.04). Waist/hip ratio was also higher among cases than among controls (p=0.05). Frequency domain analysis showed the absence of physiologic decrease of low frequency (LF) in the night period in both cases and controls. The LF night in cases showed a statistically significant reduction when compared with controls (p=0.007). Conclusions In our study group, QTc interval prolongation was associated with a longer duration of HIV infection and with a greater waist/hip ratio. HIV patients with QTc interval prolongation and with a longer duration of HIV infection were more likely to have an impairment of parasympathetic and sympathetic cardiac component.
%K Cardiac autonomic function
%K HIV
%K Holter ECG
%K QTc interval
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2261/12/124