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Colchicine’s Effects on Electrocardiographic Parameters in Newly Diagnosed Familial Mediterranean Fever Patients

Colchicine may have Favourable Effects on Parameters Related to Ventricular Arrhythmias in New Diagnosed Familial Mediterranean Fever

Wirkungen von Colchizin auf EKG-Parameter bei Patienten mit neu diagnostiziertem familiärem Mittelmeerfieber

Positive Wirkungen von Colchizin auf Parameter ventrikulärer Arrhythmien bei neu diagnostiziertem familiärem Mittelmeerfieber

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Abstract

Objective

Colchicine may prevent both recurrent serositis attacks and secondary amyloidosis in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF). Furthermore, colchicine may decrease the frequency of atrial fibrillation in some groups of patients without FMF. However, there is no study that evaluates the effect of colchicine on arrhythmogenic electrocardiographic indices in FMF. In this study, we evaluated the impact of 1 year of colchicine treatment on atrial and ventricular arrhythmogenic electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters in newly diagnosed FMF patients.

Materials and methods

We enrolled 28 newly diagnosed FMF (20 female, mean age 31.4 ± 8.2 years) patients who fulfilled the modified Tel Hashomer criteria. Electrocardiographic, demographic and laboratory parameters were obtained at the first visit and at the end of the 1‑year colchicine treatment. Herein, we assessed P wave dispersion (Pd) for atrial arrhythmia risk and peak-to-end interval of T wave (Tp-E), Tp-E/QT, Tp-E/QTc values for ventricular arrhythmia risk.

Results

Colchicine treatment significantly decreased Tp-E and Tp-E/QT values (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively) by the end of the 1‑year treatment. However, Pd values did not change with treatment.

Conclusion

Colchicine treatment may have a favourable effect on ventricular repolarisation indices that relate to ventricular arrhythmia and sudden death.

Zusammenfassung

Ziel der Arbeit

Mit Colchizin lassen sich möglicherweise sowohl rezidivierende Serositisschübe als auch die sekundäre Amyloidose bei familiärem Mittelmeerfieber (FMF) verhindern. Außerdem kann Colchizin die Häufigkeit von Vorhofflimmern bei einigen Gruppen von Patienten ohne FMF senken. Jedoch liegt bisher keine Studie zur Wirkung von Colchizin auf arrhythmogene elektrokardiographische (EKG-)Hinweise bei FMF vor. In der vorliegenden Studie untersuchten die Autoren den Einfluss einer einjährigen Colchizinbehandlung auf atriale und ventrikuläre arrhythmogene EKG-Parameter bei Patienten mit neu diagnostiziertem FMF.

Material und Methoden

Dazu wurden 28 Patienten mit neu diagnostiziertem FMF (20 w., Durchschnittsalter: 31,4 ± 8,2 Jahre) in die Studie einbezogen, die die modifizierten Tel-Hashomer-Kriterien erfüllten. Elektrokardiographische, demografische und Laborparameter wurden bei der Erstvorstellung und am Ende der einjährigen Behandlung mit Colchizin erhoben. Dabei wurde die P‑Wellen-Dispersion (Pd) hinsichtlich des Risikos atrialer Arrhythmien und das Intervall zwischen Spitze und Ende der T‑Welle („peak-to-end interval of T wave“, Tp-E) sowie das Verhältnis von Tp-E zum QT-Intervall (Tp-E/QT) und zum frequenzkorrigierten QT-Intervall (Tp-E/QTc) hinsichtlich des Risikos ventrikulärer Arrhythmien untersucht.

Ergebnisse

Unter Colchizinbehandlung erwiesen sich der Tp-E- und der Tp-E/QT-Wert am Ende der einjährigen Therapie als signifikant niedriger (p = 0,02 bzw. p = 0,01). Allerdings veränderten sich die Pd-Werte unter der Therapie nicht.

Schlussfolgerung

Colchizin hat möglicherweise positive Wirkungen auf ventrikuläre Repolarisationsparameter, die in Zusammenhang mit ventrikulären Arrhythmien und plötzlichem Herztod stehen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Training and Research Hospital, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey

    Aslı Gozek Ocal

  2. Kosuyolu Kartal Heart Training and Research Hospital, Department of Cardiology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey

    Lutfi Ocal, Ayhan Kup & Hayati Eren

  3. Kartal Dr. Lutfi Kirdar Training and Research Hospital, Department of Rheumatology, University of Health Sciences, 34680, Kartal, Istanbul, Turkey

    Mehmet Engin Tezcan M.D.

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  1. Aslı Gozek Ocal
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  2. Lutfi Ocal
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Correspondence to Mehmet Engin Tezcan M.D..

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Conflict of interest

A.G. Ocal, L. Ocal, A. Kup, H. Eren and M.E. Tezcan declare that they have no competing interests.

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants or on human tissue were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1975 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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U. Müller-Ladner, Bad Nauheim

U. Lange, Bad Nauheim

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Ocal, A.G., Ocal, L., Kup, A. et al. Colchicine’s Effects on Electrocardiographic Parameters in Newly Diagnosed Familial Mediterranean Fever Patients. Z Rheumatol 79, 210–215 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00393-019-0642-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00393-019-0642-7

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