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Background: Hypertension (HTN) is linked to cardiac dysautonomia that can end up as life-threatening arrhythmias. The same can be screened by simple electrocardiogram (ECG)-based QTc (QT corrected for heart rate) interval which indicates repolarization abnormality. We quantified QTc interval among treated hypertensives in comparison to controls, testing effect of age, gender, and blood pressure. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study was done at a tertiary care teaching hospital of Gujarat, India, on 142 hypertensives on monotherapy (60 males, 82 females) and 72 age-, sex-, and time-matched normotensives. ECG was recorded with minimum 10 complexes of Lead II. QTc was derived from average of 10 values, using Bazett's formula. QTc > 0.43 s in male and > 0.45 s in female was considered abnormal. Results: Hypertensives (mean age 40 and duration 5 years) had significantly higher QTc value than normotensives among males (0.42 vs. 0.40, P < 0.001), females (0.44 vs. 0.41, P < 0.001), and in total (0.43 vs. 0.41, P < 0.001) with 24% prevalence of ECG-based left ventricular hypertrophy. Hypertensives had odds ratio 1.63 in males (P = 0.15), 23.71 in females (P = 0.003), and 3.83 in total (P < 0.001) for prolonged QTc. QTc values were significantly affected by increasing age amongst hypertensives but not by duration of HTN or current blood pressure. Conclusions: Our study showed a high prevalence of prolonged QTc, both qualitatively and quantitatively, in hypertensives on monotherapy with poor pressure control, associated with female gender and age but not duration or blood pressure. This underscores high risk of repolarization abnormality induced future event, suggesting QTc screening as primary prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To study the effect of disease duration, treatment and risk factors on QTc interval among young hypertensives. Materials and Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 142 hypertensives (60 males, 82 females) taking calcium channel blocker (CCB) or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) as monotherapy. After blood pressure measurement, we recorded lead II electrocardiograph with minimum ten waveforms. QTc was derived from average of ten values using Bazett's formula. QTc interval >0.43 s in male and >0.45 s in female was considered abnormal. Results: Cases had mean duration of hypertension 5 years, mean age of 40 years, and poor blood pressure control (systolic blood pressure >140 and diastolic blood pressure >90 mm of Hg). Newly diagnosed hypertensives had significantly higher QTc values than the matched known cases (0.44 vs. 0.42 s, P < 0.05). Known hypertensives did not differ significantly in QTc values by the duration of disease. CCB users showed small, insignificant disadvantage for abnormally prolonged QTc values than ACEI users. With coexisting diabetes, smoking, and positive family history of hypertension, there was odds risk of 7.69, 2.75, and 2.54, respectively for prolonged QTc. Conclusion: Our study showed prolonged QTc in hypertensives more so in newly diagnosed, unaffected by duration or use of ACEI, or CCB but associated with modifiable risk factors. This underscores high risk of repolarization abnormality-induced future events, suggesting early screening of hypertension, strict blood pressure control, optimum use of QTc measurement, and preventive pharmacotherapy to reduce this aftermath. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a proven threat of cardiac dysautonomia with paucity of studies from India. Poor disease control makes it further worse with co-existence of hypertension in majority. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a validated noninvasive tool to assess cardiac autonomic status. Aim: We studied HRV parameters of type 2 diabetics looking for effects of disease control and other co-existing risk factors. Materials and Methods: Ninety-eight hypertensive and forty normotensive under-treatment, Gujarati type 2 diabetics were evaluated for disease control and risk stratification. Five minutes resting, HRV was measured by Variowin HR, software-based instrument, using standard protocols to record time domain, frequency domain, and Poincare plot HRV parameters. They were compared between subgroups for the difference with P < 0.05 defining statistical significance. Results: All HRV parameters were reduced in type 2 diabetics, having mean age 56 years, mean duration 6 years with poor glycemic but comparatively better pressure control. HRV parameters were significantly not different in good compared to poor glycemics or in subjects with optimum pressure control than those without it. Results did not differ significantly, by the presence of individual cardiovascular risk factor in diabetics except resting heart rate. Conclusion: Our findings of HRV suggest that type 2 diabetics with poor glycemic control do not have a significant difference of cardiac dysautonomia by pressure control, glycemic control, and absence of risk cardiovascular factor. It suggests diabetes as a major cause for cardiac dysautonomia, residual risk despite treatment and need for HRV screening, strict glycemic control, and further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Air pollution due to road traffic is a serious health hazard and air quality crisis in cities is mainly due to vehicular emission. Thus the persons who are continuously exposed are at an increased risk. The study was carried out to evaluate the extent of impairment in lung function in traffic police personnel compared to matched unexposed control group. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to measure the spirometric parameters of 100 traffic police personnel, aged 20-55 years, working in Saurashtra region, as compared to matched control group, consisting of 100 unexposed males. Measurement of lung volumes and capacities was done with SPIROEXCEL. The statistical analysis was carried out with Graph pad instat 3. Results: Traffic police personnel had significantly declined forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1), slow vital capacity (SVC) and maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV) when compared with predictive normal values, which is probably due to exposure to vehicular exhaust. Comparison of test values between groups showed significantly reduced FVC, MVV and increased FEV1/FVC ratio and insignificantly declined FEV1 and SVC in cases as compared to controls. Traffic personnel with longer duration of exposure showed significantly reduced lung functions than those with shorter duration. Smokers showed lower test values as compared to non-smokers with significance only in unexposed group. Conclusion: The effect of pollution by vehicular exhausts may be responsible for these pulmonary function impairments and traffic police personnel should be offered personal protective or preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]