AUTHOR=Hu Mandy X. , Lamers Femke , Penninx Brenda W. J. H. , de Geus Eco J. C. 

TITLE=Association Between Depression, Anxiety, and Antidepressant Use With T-Wave Amplitude and QT-Interval

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2018.00375

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2018.00375

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objectives:</bold> Cardiac repolarization may be affected by psychiatric disorders and/or antidepressant use, but evidence for this is inconclusive. This study examined the relationship between depressive and anxiety disorder and use of antidepressants with T-wave amplitude (TWA) and QT-interval.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Data was obtained from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (<italic>n</italic> = 1,383). Depression/anxiety was diagnosed with the DSM-IV based Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The use of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), selective serotonin and noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was established. T-wave amplitude and QT-interval corrected for heart rate (QTc) were obtained from an ECG measured in a type II axis configuration.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Compared to controls, persons with depression or anxiety disorders did not show a significantly different TWA (<italic>p</italic> = 0.58; Cohen's <italic>d</italic> = 0.046) or QTc (<italic>p</italic> = 0.48; Cohen's <italic>d</italic> = −0.057). In spite of known sympathomimetic effects, TCA use (<italic>p</italic> = 0.26; Cohen's <italic>d</italic> = −0.162) and SNRI use (<italic>p</italic> = 0.70; Cohen's <italic>d</italic> = −0.055) were not significantly associated with a lower TWA. TCA use (<italic>p</italic> = 0.12; Cohen's <italic>d</italic> = 0.225) and SNRI use (<italic>p</italic> = 0.11; Cohen's <italic>d</italic> = 0.227) were also not significantly associated with a prolonged QTc.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> We did not find evidence that either depressive/anxiety disorder or antidepressant use is associated with abnormalities in TWA or QTc. Earlier found sympathomimetic effects of TCAs and SNRIs are not evident in these measures of cardiac repolarization.</p>