scholarly journals Do antidepressants prolong the QT interval?

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Nosè ◽  
C. Barbui

According to a recent cross-sectional study, some antidepressants, including amitriptyline, citalopram and escitalopram, are associated with QTc prolongation. However, the magnitude of this association is relatively small, and the clinical implications uncertain. In this article, the main strengths and weaknesses of this cross-sectional study are briefly analysed alongside recent warnings issued by regulatory authorities. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (9) ◽  
pp. 336-340
Author(s):  
John Dunn ◽  
Michael Haskew ◽  
Anshuman Pant

Aims and MethodTo investigate non-adherence to substitute opioid treatment, using a cross-sectional study design, with 630 patients from three London community drug services. Adherence was measured as the number of doses collected from the pharmacy as a proportion of the total number of doses stipulated on the prescription during a 28-day period and was further investigated through laboratory urine drug screens.ResultsOverall, 30.5% (n= 191) of individuals failed to pick up at least one dose of medication from the pharmacy over 1 month, but only 1.6% (n= 10) missed 50% or more of their doses. Non-adherence was associated with supervised consumption, more frequent pick-up, shorter duration of treatment, younger age, a lower dose of methadone and a recent urinalysis result positive for opiates.Clinical ImplicationsTreatment services need to monitor levels of adherence to treatment and develop strategies to improve it so that treatment can be optimised effectively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuji Shimizu ◽  
Shin-Ya Kawashiri ◽  
Yuko Noguchi ◽  
Yasuhiro Nagata ◽  
Takahiro Maeda ◽  
...  

AbstractOur recent studies indicate that thyroid cysts have clinical implications. Thyroid cysts could have a positive effect on the supply of thyroid hormones. Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism cause hypertension. Hypothyroidism, but not hyperthyroidism, is a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Therefore, thyroid cysts could be associated with hypertension, and atherosclerosis might influence the association between thyroid cysts and hypertension. To evaluate the clinical significance of thyroid cysts, a cross-sectional study was conducted with 1801 Japanese aged 40–74 years. Thyroid cysts were significantly positively associated with hypertension in participants without atherosclerosis. However, there was a significant inverse association in those with atherosclerosis. The potential confounding factor adjusted odd ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were 1.49 (95% CI 1.17–1.90) for participants without atherosclerosis and 0.49 (95% CI 0.24–0.98) for those with atherosclerosis. The present study demonstrates that thyroid cysts have clinical implications because thyroid cysts support thyroid hormone activity. Our findings provide sufficient evidence to develop a risk assessment for hypertension for the general population, even though further research is required.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dulce Helena Gonçalves Orofino ◽  
Sonia Regina Lambert Passos ◽  
Sheila Moura Pone ◽  
Marcos Silva Pone ◽  
Elisa Barroso de Aguiar ◽  
...  

Abstract Background : Antenatal exposure to the Zika virus (ZIKV) is related to severe neurological, ophthalmological and orthopedic manifestations called congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), but no changes in the electrical activity of the heart have been found. A higher prevalence of structural cardiac changes has been described in CZS patients when compared to the general population of live births. To describe 24-hour Holter findings in infants with confirmed antenatal exposure to ZIKV. Methods : Cross-sectional study of 24-hour Holter findings in infants with antenatal exposure to ZIKV confirmed by positive polymerase chain reaction(PCR) . Patients of the cohort of newborns and infants exposed intrautero to the ZIKV which began in November 2015 and continues to date and were hospitalized for clinical or surgical reasons were included. The 24-hour Holter monitoring was performed the day before discharge. Data analysis was descriptive and included subgroups of patients according to the presence of CZS and severe microcephaly. Heart rate, ST segment, QT interval and arrhythmias were evaluated. To evaluate heart rate variability (HRV) we used time domain analysis. The Mann-Whitney test was performed to verify significant differences between the subgroups of patients. Results : The sample consisted of 15 infants with average age of 16 months and 12 were diagnosed with CZS (8 had severe microcephaly). PCR at birth was positive in 8 newborn and 7 had positive maternal PCR during pregnancy. No arrhythmias or QT interval changes were observed. The Mann-Whitney test showed a significant difference between patients with and without CZS and with and without severe microcephaly, with HRV being lower in the groups with severe microcephaly and CZS. Conclusions : The study suggests that the HRV evaluation can be used as a sentinel event to assess the possibility of progressive neurological impairment in newborns with antenatal exposure to ZIKV, allowing early initiation of stimulation therapies in addition to indicating that cardiovascular complications may arise in the medium and long term.


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
María de Gracia León-Palacios ◽  
Juan Úbeda-Gómez ◽  
Silvia Escudero-Pérez ◽  
María Dolores Barros-Albarán ◽  
Ana María López-Jiménez ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study was designed to find out whether a person’s relationship with his voices and the negative affect he suffers from are mediated by beliefs about the voices. Research done to date shows contradictory results (Sorrell, Hayward, & Meddings, 2010, Vaughan & Fowler, 2004). A cross-sectional study was done to study the associations among variables, and a multiple mediation model (Preacher & Hayes, 2008) in which the beliefs about voices were the mediating variables was tested. Sixty subjects who heard voices participated. The VAY (Hayward, Denney, Vaughan, & Fowler, 2008), BAVQ (Chadwick & Birchwood, 1995), BAI (Beck & Steer, 1993) and BDI-II (Beck, Steer & Brown, 1996) were given. We found a significant positive correlation between perception of voices as dominant and intrusive and maintaining a position of distance from them on one hand, and negative affect [anxiety (r = .57, p < .001; r = .40, p < .001; r = .34, p < .01 respectively) and depression (r = .58, p < .001; r = .37, p < .01; r = .38, p < .001 respectively)] on the other. We also found that beliefs of malevolence and omnipotence mediated between relating style and negative affect (anxiety and depression). The theoretical implications of the results and clinical implications of the mediating relationships found are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Joana Santos ◽  
Vera Fernandes ◽  
Fernando Mota Garcia

<strong>Introduction:</strong> Although vitamin D deficiency is increasingly recognized around the world, there are few studies on the Portuguese reality. This study aims to analyse vitamin D levels in the assays performed in our hospital and their relationship with age, genre, requesting specialty and moment of sample collection.<br /><strong>Material and Methods:</strong> Cross-sectional study of measurements of 25(HO)D performed in our Hospital between June 2012 and November 2014. Included variables: gender, age, requesting specialty, month of sample collection. Vitamin D status classified as: ‘Deficiency’ (≤ 20 ng/mL), ‘Insufficiency’ (21 - 29 ng/ml) and ‘Sufficiency’ (≥ 30 ng/mL).<br /><strong>Results:</strong> We included 5 439 assays; 55.0% from women; the median age was 64.0 years. Sixty per cent had ‘Deficiency’, 20.7% ‘Insufficiency’ and 18.9% ‘Sufficiency’. We found a negative correlation between age and vitamin D level (p &lt; 0.001). We didn’t find differences in vitamin D levels between genres. Nine specialties requested 98% of the assays, namely Nephrology (56.2%). We found differences between specialties based on age and vitamin D level (p &lt; 0.001). Vitamin D levels changed throughout the year, with higher levels in the summer, followed by autumn, spring and winter (p &lt; 0.001). Despite this seasonal fluctuation, vitamin D sufficiency was only present in a minority of assays (27.8% in summer and 9.2% in winter).<br /><strong>Discussion:</strong> Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in this population, affects individuals of all ages and is not offset by the seasonal variation of sunlight.<br /><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Vitamin D deficiency is a real and prevalent problem in our population that needs further attention and action, given its clinical implications.


Author(s):  
Afreen Begum H Itagi ◽  
Amudharaj Dharmalingam ◽  
Satish Dipankar ◽  
Akshay Berad ◽  
Senthil M Velou ◽  
...  

Introduction: Stress affects different cardiovascular responses and trigger arrhythmias through Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) activation. Medical students generally tend to reduce their sleep, in order to adjust and cope with their stressful and demanding workload. Aim: To assess the correlation of QT intervals variables with quality of sleep and stress among young adult medical students. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken in All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, India, among 60 medical students taken as internal match for collection of data at the beginning of the academic year (unstressed) and three weeks before the term-end examination (stressed) during October 2019 to March 2020. Two validated questionnaires namely, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quality and the Medical Student Stress Questionnaire (MSSQ) to measure the stressors and the intensity of stress were used among the medical students. Short-term Electrocardiogram (ECG) recording was used to measure QT interval variables. Descriptive statistics and paired t-test were applied using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19.0. The p≤0.05 was considered significant. Results: Academic Related Stress (ARS) showed a highly significant increase during the stressed conditions (p<0.001). The mean global PSQI score of 6.03±2.76 was significantly higher (p-value <0.001; PSQI >5) during the stressed conditions indicating poor quality of sleep, when compared to 4.50±2.87 recorded in unstressed conditions. In stressed conditions, QT interval measures had moderate correlation with ARS. Quality of sleep had negative correlations with all QT interval measures except for corrected QT interval (QTc) and QTCmin. Conclusion: Stress affects the sleep quality and induced QT changes which reflected difference in variability between ‘stressed’ and ‘unstressed’ times. However, there is no significant impact on QT duration among the young adult medical students.


BMJ ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 346 (jan29 3) ◽  
pp. f288-f288 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. M. Castro ◽  
C. C. Clements ◽  
S. N. Murphy ◽  
V. S. Gainer ◽  
M. Fava ◽  
...  

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