Association of T-wave Changes and Type 2 diabetes: A cross-sectional sub-analysis of MASHAD cohort population using Minnesota coding system of Electrocardiogram

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has become a major health concern with an increasing prevalence and is now one of the leading causes of death globally. T2DM and cardiovascular disease are strongly associated and T2DM is an important independent risk factor for ischemic heart disease. T-wave abnormalities (TWA) on electrocardiogram (ECG) can indicate several pathologies including ischemia. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between T2DM and T-wave changes evaluated using the Minnesota coding system. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on the MASHAD cohort study population. All participants of the cohort population were enrolled in the study. 12-lead ECG and Minnesota coding system (codes 5-1 to 5-4) were utilized for T-wave observation and interpretation. Regression models were used for the final evaluation with a level of significance being considered at p<0.05. Results: A total of 9035 participants aged 35-65 years old were included in the study, of whom 1273 were diabetic. The prevalence of code 5-2, 5-3, major and minor TWA were significantly higher in diabetics (p<0.05). Following adjustment for age, gender, and hypertension, no TWAs were significantly associated with T2DM (p>0.05). Whereas, hypertension, age, and body mass index were significantly associated with T2DM. Conclusions: Although some T-wave abnormalities were more frequent in diabetics, none of them were statistically associated with T2DM in our study. Further research is needed to better understand the associations between T2DM and ischemic heart diseases.