The association between insulin resistance and QT interval: A systematic review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Insulin resistance (IR) is a major health concern associated with various diseases, and prolonged QT interval can potentially lead to life-threatening arrhythmias and death. There are conflicting views on the relationship between IR and QT interval. This meta-analysis aims to comprehensively investigate the association between IR and QT interval. METHODS: An extensive search in databases PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science up to October 2024 was conducted. Cohort studies which reported means and standard deviations for the QTc interval across the case and control groups with and without insulin resistance based on HOMA-IR were eligible for inclusion. Research with partial or inaccessible primary data, those involving participants with pre-existing cardiac conditions, and those with ambiguous results were excluded. The evaluation of study quality utilized the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A random-effects model was applied for the meta-analysis, and Egger's test was used to assess publication bias. GRADEproGDT was used to evaluate the certainty of the evidence. RESULTS: Five studies, encompassing 603 participants, met the inclusion criteria. A significant positive association was observed between IR and QT interval (Weighted Mean Difference [WMD] = 12.38, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 5.51, 19.25). All included studies demonstrated high methodological quality. Assessment for publication bias revealed no significant findings (p-value for Egger's test = 0.39). The quality of evidence for the main outcome was moderate. Subgroup analyses revealed a significant link between IR and QT interval in studies from Turkey and India, with samples over fifty, and involving adults. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis highlights that IR is linked to an elevated risk of QT prolongation. Early identification of IR is crucial to mitigate the risk of QT prolongation and subsequent arrhythmias, thus emphasizing the importance of early intervention to prevent adverse cardiac outcomes and sudden cardiac death. Caution is needed when interpreting our results due to study heterogeneity, certainty of evidence, and sensitivity analysis findings. More rigorous research on this subject is required.