Abstract

ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH SMOKING AND SMOKING CESSATION: PROSPECTIVE STUDY AT TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL FROM CENTRAL INDIA

Prof. Premshanker Singh*, Dr. Devendra Kumar, Dr. Ajay Misra, Dr. Ritu Karoli, Dr. Nikhil Gupta

Abstract

Present study is carried out to demonstrate the effects of smoking on electrocardiogram and thereby creating awareness and the potential benefits of primordial prevention in such population. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) can be detected and quantified by analysis of the electrocardiogram (ECG); however the effects of smoking and smoking cessation on the ECG have not been characterized Standard 12-lead ECGs were performed at baseline and 3 years after subjects enrolled in a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of smoking cessation pharmacotherapies. ECGs were interpreted using the Minnesota Code ECG Classification. The effects of (i) smoking burden on the prevalence of ECG findings at baseline, and (ii) smoking and smoking cessation on ECG changes after 3 years were investigated by multivariable and multinomial regression analyses At baseline, 266 smokers were (mean [SD]) 43.3 (11.5) years old, smoked 20.6 (7.9) cigarettes/day, with a smoking burden of 26.7 (18.6) pack-years. Major and minor ECG criteria were identified in 44 (16.4%) and 65 (24.6%) of subjects, respectively. After adjusting for demographic data and known CVD risk factors, higher packyears was associated with major ECG abnormalities (p = 0.02), but current cigarettes/day (p = 0.23) was not. After 3 years, 42.9% of subjects were abstinent from smoking. New major and minor ECG criteria were observed in 7.2% and 15.6% of subjects respectively, but in similar numbers of abstinent subjects and continuing smokers (p>0.2 for both). Continuing smokers showed significant reduction in current smoking (–8.4 [8.8] cigarettes/day, p

Keywords: Smoking, ECG Abnormality, ECG Cessation.