Long QT syndrome in elderly population: Preliminary data [La sindrome del QT lungo nella popolazione anziana: Dati preliminari]

Introduction. International literature shows the correlation between the use of several drugs and the lengthening of QT interval, that is frequently associated with the risk of developing fatal cardiac arrhythmias. The list of these drugs, that are widely used by the geriatric population, is constantly updating. The main outcome of the study is to evaluate the incidence of long QT in an elderly hospitalized population. The secondary outcome is to assess whether these drugs are significantly related to a longer QT presentation. Methods. This is an observational study including patients admitted to a geriatric hospital ward. Patients with electrolite disorders, QT prolongation and atrial fibrillation with high penetrance at admission are excluded. Results. The incidence of long QT is 34.2%. Forty eight patients show a lengthening of the QTc interval beyond the normal limits during the hospital stay. Fifty percent of them has never taken potentially prolonging QT drugs at home neither during hospitalization. Discussion. Our results show that the lengthening of the QT interval represents a very frequent occurrence in geriatric patients, even though this phenomenon does not seem to be so closely related to drugs potentially lengthening QT.