The Significance of Frontal Plane QRS-T Angle for Estimating Non-Dipper Hypertension

Objective: The frontal QRS-T angle (fQRS-T) is linked to myocardial ischemia and ventricular arrhythmias. On the other hand, non-dipper hypertension is a risk factor for cardiac adverse events. The objective of this research was to determine whether the fQRS-T, a marker of ventricular heterogeneity, could be used to predict non-dipper hypertensive individuals in the lack of left ventricular hypertrophy. Methods: The observational study was carried out retrospectively. Patients diagnosed with hypertension were included in this study. Blood tests were routinely conducted for all patients. Electrocardiography (ECG) was conducted for each patient and echocardiography was performed. Blood pressure (BP) values were collected from the ambulatory Holter records. According to ambulatory Holter monitoring, the individuals were separated into two groups. The association between fQRS-T and hypertension was investigated. Results: The research involved 123 patients, with an average age of 51.85±8.22 years, comprising 76 women (61.8%) and 47 males (38.2%). According to ambulatory Holter monitoring, patients were separated into dippers (n=65) and non-dippers (n=58). There were no statistically significant in the laboratory and echocardiographic variables (p>0.05). QT dispersion (QTd) and fQRS-T were substantially greater in the non-dipper group than in the dipper group (p=0.043 and p<0.001, respectively). Independent determinants of non-dipper status were determined by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. fQRS-T was found to be the only independent indicator of non-dipper status (OR: 1.03, 95%CI: 1.02-1.06, p<0.001). Conclusion: The fQRS-T may be a useful marker for estimating non-dipper hypertensive individuals in the lack of left ventricular hypertrophy.