Electrocardiographic findings in sickle cell cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy

Background There is a lack of data on the relationship between cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) and electrocardiographic parameters in sickle cell anaemia. Aims and objectives The purpose of the study was to compare the electrocardiographic findings in adult sickle cell anaemia patients with CAN with those of patients without this complication. Methods A cross sectional study was done using 62 consecutively recruited sickle cell anaemia patients who met the inclusion criteria for the study. Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction was determined based on abnormal values in at least two of five non-invasive tests: Valsalva manoeuver, heart rate variation during deep breathing, heart rate response to standing, blood pressure response to sustained hand grip, and blood pressure response to standing. The subjects were subsequently evaluated with electrocardiography. Results Sickle cell anaemia patients with CAN had statistically significantly increased P-wave duration ( p