• Ebru Apaydin Dogan, Umuttan Dogan, Gulce Unal Yildiz, Hakan Akilli, Emine Genc, Bulent Oguz Genc, and Hasan Gok.
• Selcuk University Meram School of Medicine, Neurology Department, Konya, Turkey. eapaydindogan@yahoo.com
• Epilepsy Res. 2010 Jun 1; 90 (1-2): 157-63.

PurposeTo evaluate the cardiac repolarization indices in terms of QT intervals in patients with well-controlled partial epilepsy.MethodsSeventy-six adult patients with well-controlled partial epilepsy and 66 healthy controls were enrolled into the study. 12-Lead ECGs were obtained from all participants. Corrected QT (QTc) intervals including maximum QTc (QTmaxc), minimum QTc (QTminc) and QTc dispersion (QTcd) were calculated.ResultsQTmaxc and QTcd intervals were significantly longer in the epilepsy group when compared to control group (439+/-27 ms vs. 422+/-25 ms, p<0.001 and 55+/-18 ms vs. 41+/-18 ms, p<0.001). The proportion of patients with pathologically prolonged QTcd intervals (>50 ms) was significantly higher in the epilepsy group (25 of 76 vs. 7 of 66, p=0.002). QTmaxc was significantly correlated with age (beta=0.29, p=0.012) after adjusting for gender, body mass index and duration of epilepsy. No correlation was observed between the duration of epilepsy and any of the QT intervals. There were no significant differences between the subgroups regarding QT intervals according to the etiology of the seizures (symptomatic/cryptogenic), being on mono- or polytherapy and treatment regimens (carbamazepine/non-carbamazepine).ConclusionThe results highlight the importance of cardiac evaluation even in patients with well-controlled epilepsy. 12-lead ECG recordings might help to uncover serious cardiovascular events.Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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