Familial Mediterranean fever is an autosomal recessive autoinflammatory inherited disease. We aimed to evaluate cardiac involvement in children with familial Mediterranean fever during the attack-free period.

The prospective study included 75 familial Mediterranean fever patients during the attack-free period and 50 healthy children. Cardiac evaluation was performed using electrocardiography, 24-hour ambulatory Holter monitoring, and conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography. Aortic stiffness indices were calculated.

There were no differences between the groups in age, height, sex, body mass index, and arterial blood pressure parameters (p > 0.05). QT and corrected QT dispersion parameters were similar in both groups (p > 0.05). The E wave velocity and the E/A ratio of the mitral and tricuspid valves decreased, and the A wave velocity of the tricuspid and mitral valve increased in familial Mediterranean fever by the Doppler echocardiography (p < 0.05). The myocardial contraction velocities (Sd), early relaxation velocity (Ed), and Ed/late relaxation velocity (Ad) of both ventricles were decreased in familial Mediterranean fever group, whereas the Ad of both ventricles and the interventricular septum was increased in familial Mediterranean fever group. Aortic strain and distensibility were decreased, and pressure strain elastic modules (Ep), pressure strain normalised (Ep*) by diastolic pressure, and aortic stiffness β index were increased in familial Mediterranean fever patients (p < 0.05). When time domain heart rate variability parameters were evaluated, SDNN-i, RMSSD, and PNN50 significantly decreased in familial Mediterranean fever patients (p < 0.05), whereas SDNN and SDANN were similar in both groups (p > 0.05).

Our findings showed that cardiac involvement could exist in familial Mediterranean fever patients, even during nonattack periods.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune intestinal disease that develops with permanent intolerance to gluten and similar cereal proteins. It can damage to many tissues, including myocardium, by autoimmune mechanisms. In our study, we aimed to investigate the effect of coeliac disease on cardiac electrical activity by comparing the Tp-e interval and Qt dispersion values of coeliac patients with healthy children.

Fifty-seven coeliac patients and 57 healthy children were included in the study. Sociodemographic findings, physical examinations, symptoms, laboratory values, dietary compliance, endoscopy, and pathological findings were recorded into a standardised form. Electrocardiogram parameters were calculated, and echocardiography findings were noted.

No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of age, gender, heart rate, electrocardiogram parameters such as p wave, PR interval, QRS complex, QT interval, and QTc values. Tp-e interval, Tp-e / QT ratio, and Tp-e / QTc ratio were statistically significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control group. Ejection fraction and fractional shortening values were significantly lower in the patient group compared to the control group. In the patient group, Tp-e interval, Tp-e / QT ratio, Tp-e / QTc ratio, and QTc dispersion were statistically significantly higher in patients with tissue transglutaminase IgA positive compared to patients with tissue transglutaminase IgA negative.

Our study gives important findings in terms of detecting early signs of future cardiovascular events in childhood age group coeliac patients.

Ventricular repolarisation changes may lead to sudden cardiac death in obese individuals. We aimed to investigate the relationship between ventricular repolarisation changes, echocardiographic parameters, anthropometric measures, and metabolic syndrome laboratory parameters in obese children.

The study involved 81 obese and 82 normal-weight healthy children with a mean age of 12.3 ± 2.7 years. Anthropometric measurements of participants were evaluated according to nomograms. Obese patients were subdivided into two groups; metabolic syndrome and non-metabolic syndrome obese. Fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, and lipid profile were measured. QT/QTc interval, QT/QTc dispersions were measured, and left ventricular systolic and diastolic measurements were performed.

Body weight, body mass index, relative body mass index, waist/hip circumference ratio, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly higher in obese children. QT and QTc dispersions were significantly higher in obese children and also obese children with metabolic syndrome had significantly higher QT and QTc dispersions compared to non-metabolic syndrome obese children (p < 0.001) and normal-weight healthy children (p < 0.001). Waist/hip circumference ratio, body mass index, and relative body mass index were the most important determinant of QT and QTc dispersions. Left ventricular wall thickness (left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-diastole, left ventricular posterior wall thickness at end-systole, interventricular septal thickness at end-diastole) and left ventricular mass index were significantly higher and ejection fraction was lower in obese children. Left ventricular mass index and interventricular septal thickness at end-diastole were positively correlated with QT and QTc dispersions.

Our study demonstrated that QT/ QTc interval prolongation and increase in QT and QTc dispersion on electrocardiogram may be found at an early age in obese children.