Abstract
Background and Objectives: Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is a chronic cardiac dysfunction associated with liver cirrhosis, in patients without previous heart disease, irrespective of the etiology of cirrhosis. Electrocardiography (ECG) is an important way to evaluate patients with cirrhosis and may reveal significant changes associated with liver disease. Our study aimed to evaluate ECG changes in patients with diagnosed liver cirrhosis and compare them to patients with chronic hepatitis. Materials and Methods: We evaluated laboratory findings and ECG tracings in 63 patients with cirrhosis and 54 patients with chronic hepatitis of viral etiology. The end points of the study were prolonged QT interval, QRS hypovoltage and T-peak-to-T-end decrease. We confirmed the diagnosis of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy using echocardiography data. Results: Advanced liver disease was associated with prolonged QT intervals. Also, QRS amplitude was lower in patients with decompensated cirrhosis than in patients with compensated liver disease. We found an accentuated deceleration of the T wave in patients with cirrhosis. These findings correlated to serum levels of albumin, cholesterol and ammonia. Conclusions: ECG changes in liver cirrhosis are frequently encountered and are important noninvasive markers for the presence of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy.
Highlights
Starting from 1953 [1], cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) has been defined as a separate entity in the spectrum of heart conditions, strictly related to liver damage
Clinical and experimental trials have defined CCM as chronic cardiac dysfunction associated with liver cirrhosis, in patients without heart disease, irrespective of the etiology of cirrhosis [2]
The results showed a significantly older age in patients with cirrhosis compared to patients with chronic hepatitis, as a marker of prolonged viral infection
Summary
Starting from 1953 [1], cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) has been defined as a separate entity in the spectrum of heart conditions, strictly related to liver damage. Clinical and experimental trials have defined CCM as chronic cardiac dysfunction associated with liver cirrhosis, in patients without heart disease, irrespective of the etiology of cirrhosis [2]. Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is a chronic cardiac dysfunction associated with liver cirrhosis, in patients without previous heart disease, irrespective of the etiology of cirrhosis. Electrocardiography (ECG) is an important way to evaluate patients with cirrhosis and may reveal significant changes associated with liver disease. Our study aimed to evaluate ECG changes in patients with diagnosed liver cirrhosis and compare them to patients with chronic hepatitis
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