P wave duration and dispersion and QT interval in multiple sclerosis

•Involvement of the heart may be seen in MS patients even in the absence of clinical cardiac manifestations.•P wave duration and P wave dispersion was found to be higher in MS patients than healthy control subjects.•The patients with MS who have increased PWD should be closely followed for atrial arrhythmias.

IntroductionMultiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most frequent disorders of central nervous system, resulting in autonomic disturbances. Some electrocardiographic changes have been reported in these patients that can lead to arrhythmia. In this study we compared P wave duration and dispersion and QT interval of MS patients to healthy control subjects.Material and methodsEighty four multiple sclerosis patients and 84 healthy, age and sex-matched volunteers were included. A 12-lead electrocardiogram was undertaken in order to measure minimal and maximal P wave duration, P wave dispersion (PWD) and QT interval.ResultsIn patient group, mean P wave duration, maximum P wave duration and PWD were significantly longer than control group. QT interval was longer in patient group but the difference was not significant.ConclusionIn this study, P wave duration and P wave dispersion was found to be higher in MS patients than healthy control subjects.