Key result
Opioid use disorder was associated with a lower heart rate and lower QT dispersion compared to healthy controls (p < 0.05), with no significant difference in P wave dispersion.
Why the study?
The study aimed to examine electrocardiographic arrhythmia risk predictors, including P wave dispersion, QT dispersion, and Tp-e/QTc ratio, in patients with opioid use disorder compared with healthy controls.
Does opioid use disorder alter electrocardiographic arrhythmia risk predictors compared to healthy controls?
Observational (n=285)
No
Does opioid use disorder alter electrocardiographic arrhythmia risk predictors compared to healthy controls?
p-value: p=<0.05
Patients with opioid use disorder exhibit altered ECG parameters, including lower heart rate and QT dispersion, suggesting a need for clinical vigilance regarding cardiac rhythm and conduction.
Opioid use disorder may alter ECG parameters; hypothesis-generating for arrhythmia risk and requires prospective validation.
Objective We aimed to examine the electrocardiographic arrhythmia risk predictors in patients with opioid use disorder by P wave dispersion, QT dispersion, and by comparing Tp-e/QTc ratio with healthy controls.Methods One hundred seventeen patients who were diagnosed with opioid use disorder according to DSM-5 criteria and who were hospitalized in 25 Aralık Gaziantep State Hospital AMATEM (Alcohol and substance addiction treatment center) service and a healthy control group consisting of 168 subjects were included in the study. Electrocardiography (ECG) scans of all participants were performed in the supine position and at rest. P wave dispersion, QT dispersion, and Tp-e/QTc ratio were calculated.Results Of all the participants, 12 were women (4.21%), 273 (95.78%) were men. The mean age of all participants was 30.42 ± 9.36 years. No difference was found between the gender, mean age, marital status, educational level, and smoking status of the participants (p > 0.05). The entire patient group was using heroin. Heart rate of the patient group was calculated as 68.14 ± 13.26 beats per minute, being lower than healthy controls (p < 0.05). Although QT dispersion value was lower than healthy controls (p < 0.05); P wave dispersion did not differ between groups (p > 0.05).Conclusion It is thought that the patients with opioid use disorder are at risk for cardiac arrhythmia based on our findings. Therefore, physicians should be careful about cardiac rhythm and conduction problems while organizing any treatment of these patients.
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Demir et al. (2020) conducted an observational in Opioid use disorder (n=285). Opioid use disorder vs. Healthy controls was evaluated on QT dispersion and P wave dispersion (p=<0.05). Opioid use disorder was associated with a lower heart rate and lower QT dispersion compared to healthy controls (p < 0.05), with no significant difference in P wave dispersion.
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