Journal of Clinical Medicine
Association of Anti-TNF Therapy with Ventricular Repolarization Indices in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Longitudinal Electrocardiographic Study
By Melih Pamukçu, Tuğba İzci Duran and Bora Demirçelik.
Abstract
Background
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity that cannot be fully explained by traditional cardiovascular risk factors alone. Chronic systemic inflammation has been implicated in myocardial electrical remodeling, yet the effect of anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy on ventricular repolarization remains insufficiently characterized. This study investigated longitudinal changes in electrocardiographic markers of ventricular repolarization following anti-TNF therapy in patients with RA.
Methods
This retrospective longitudinal study included 115 patients with RA who initiated anti-TNF therapy and had clinical, laboratory, and 12-lead electrocardiographic assessments at baseline and after approximately 24 weeks. Ventricular repolarization was evaluated using QT, corrected QT (QTc), Tpeak–Tend (Tp-e), corrected Tp-e (cTp-e), and Tp-e/QT. Cross-sectional associations between repolarization indices and inflammatory/disease-related variables were assessed at 24 weeks, together with longitudinal correlations between changes in these variables and changes in repolarization indices.