Title:A Review on Electrocardiographic Changes in Diabetic Patients
Volume: 11
Issue: 2
Author(s): Iana Simova, Ivaylo Christov and Giovanni Bortolan
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Diabetes mellitus, electrocardiography, sudden cardiac death, heart rate variation, t-wave alternans.
Abstract: Prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is progressively increasing, contributing to a parallel
increase in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and more than doubling the incidence of sudden
cardiac death (SCD). Certain electrocardiographic (ECG) characteristics, such as alternans of the T
wave (TWA), heart rate variability (HRV) and dispersion of the QT interval, have been found to be
predictive of the risk of SCD. This review focuses on ECG changes that could be found in diabetics
and their potential implication for SCD risk.