Copyright © 2003 by the European Society of Cardiology.
Regular Articles
Spatial QRS-T angle predicts cardiac death in a general population
a Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
b Department of Medical Informatics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
* Corresponding author: Dr J.C.M. Witteman, Erasmus MC, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Tel.: +31 10 4087365; fax: +31 10 4089382
E-mail address: witteman{at}epib.fgg.eur.nl
Received 24 November 2002; revised 7 March 2003; accepted 12 March 2003
Aims The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic importance of the spatial QRS-T angle for fatal and non-fatal cardiac events.
Methods and results Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded in 6134 men and women aged 55 years and over from the prospective population-based Rotterdam Study. Spatial QRS-T angles were categorized as normal, borderline or abnormal. Using Cox's proportional hazards model, abnormal angles showed increased hazard ratios of cardiac death (age-and sex-adjusted hazard ratio 5.2 (95% CI 4.0–6.8)), non-fatal cardiac events (2.2 (1.5–3.1)), sudden death (5.6 (3.7–8.5)) and total mortality (2.3 (2.0–2.7)). None of the classical cardiovascular and ECG predictors provided larger hazard ratios. After adjustment for these predictors, the association of abnormal spatial QRS-T angles with all fatal study endpoints remained strong, but the association with non-fatal cardiac events disappeared. Computation of Akaike's information criterion showed that the angle contributed significantly to the prediction of all fatal endpoints by classical cardiovascular and ECG predictors.
Conclusion The spatial QRS-T angle is a strong and independent predictor of cardiac mortality in the elderly. It is stronger than any of the classical cardiovascular risk factors and ECG risk indicators and provides additional value to them in predicting fatal cardiac events.
Key Words: Cardiac mortality • Spatial QRS-T angle • Repolarization • Vectorcardiogram
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