ABSTRACT
Aims
The frontal QRS-T (fQRST) angle is associated with worse cardiovascular outcome. The study aimed to assess the effect of reverse dipping pattern on f(QRST) angle in newly diagnosed masked hypertensive (MH) patients.
Materials and methods
Newly diagnosed 244 consecutive MH patients were included. According to dipping pattern, patients were grouped into three: dipper (n = 114), non-dipper (n = 106), and reverse dipper (n = 24) patterns. The f(QRST) angle, QT and corrected QT interval, and QT dispersion were measured from the 12-lead surface electrocardiogram and compared between groups.
Results
Of all, 51.2% (n = 125) were male. No gender difference was observed. Reverse dipper MH group had a significantly higher f(QRST) angle than the non-dipper and dipper MH groups (77.9 ± 8.6 vs. 32.4 ± 18.8 and 26.0 ± 18.5, respectively, p < .001). The cutoff value for f(QRST) angle of 51 predicts reverse dipping pattern (AUC: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.77–0.90; p < .001), with a sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 78%.
Conclusion
This study revealed that f(QRST) angle is gradually increased starting from the dipper, non-dipper to reverse dipper masked hypertensives. The f(QRST) angle appears as an easy marker for the detection and risk stratification of hypertensive patients.
Author contributors
LDA: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data curation, Writing-Original draft preparation MIH: Visualization, Investigation, Formal analysis, Validation. AO: Formal analysis, Visualization, Investigation. ZK: Investigation, Data curation, Writing-Original draft preparation, KK: Investigation, Data curation, Writing-Original draft preparation, SU: Conceptualization, Visualization, Supervision, Reviewing and Editing. All authors gave final approval and agree to be accountable for all aspects of work ensuring integrity and accuracy.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Ethics committee approval
This study was approved by Ethics Committee of the Haydarpasa Numune Research and Training Hospital, 04.10.2021 (HNEAH-KAEK-2021/KK/258). The investigation confirms to the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.
Correction Statement
This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.