Ecg Changes in Patients on Antipsychotics Medication

OBJECTIVES: To determine the ECG changes in a group of out-patients on antipsychotics medication, and the association, if any, with factors such as gender, age, co-morbid illness and the use of concomitant medication. METHODS: Study subjects included patients 18 years and older attending the outpatient departments of Basaveshwar Teaching and General Hospitals. The subject's demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained and a resting ECG was recorded. RESULTS: Eighty patients were included in the study. The mean age of the subjects was 45.4 (standard deviation (SD) =18.2) years, with a minimum age of 18 and a maximum of 85 years. Fifty-four subjects (67.5%) had evidence of some ECG abnormalities. There was no significant difference between the occurrence of ECG abnormalities and the different age groups (p > 0.05), gender (p > 0.05), and different race groups (p > 0.05). Sixty-one subjects (76.3%) had no co-morbid medical illness and were on psychotropic medication only; of these patients 43 (70.5%) had abnormal ECG tracings (p >0.05). The ECG abnormalities recorded included abnormal rate (28.8%), abnormal ST segment (20.5%), abnormal QRS complex (17.8%), abnormal T wave (15.4%), prolonged or borderline corrected QT interval (8.2%), irregular rhythm (5.5%) and prolonged PR interval (2.7%). There was a significant positive correlation between the corrected QT interval and age (r = 0.43, p < 0.05) and between corrected QT interval and female gender (r = 0.31, p < 0.05). There was no correlation between corrected QT interval and treatment of a co-morbid illness (r = 0.13, p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of psychotropic drugs is associated with ECG changes in ordinary doses. However, this study serves to strengthen previous evidence that, although common, most of these changes are of a benign nature.