[Heart rate and QT-interval dispersion with consideration of left ventricular geometry in a population study of men and women aged 35-59 years].

Interrelationships between heart rate (HR), parameters of QT interval dispersion on resting ECG and four variants of echocardiographically defined left ventricular geometry were elucidated in 723 participants of a population study of inhabitants of Tallinn aged 35-59 years. Examination included anthropometry, blood pressure (BP) measurement, registration of ECG and echocardiography. None of normotensive examinees had concentric left ventricular hypertrophy. Among men with normal BP eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy was very rare (0.88%) and contrary to normal left ventricular geometry was associated with highest values of HR and QTD, QTc, QTDc. Among normotensive women eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy was found in 35.3% of cases and was associated with lowest values of HR while parameters of QT interval dispersion were similar to those observed in other variants of left ventricular geometry. Both men and women with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy had significantly lower HR and higher values of QT interval dispersion compared with hypertensives with normal left ventricular geometry. In men HR was positively related to age, systolic and diastolic BP and left ventricular myocardial mass index. In women relationship between HR, BP and age was very weak. Relation of HR to left ventricular myocardial mass index was more noticeable although turned out to be inverse.