Abstract:
Thyreotoxic cardiopathy represents a cardiac pathology, caused by the toxic influence of the thyroid hormones on the myocardium. The aim of this
study is to determine the frequency of cardiovascular changes in patients with thyreotoxic cardiopathy according to the ECG and EchoCG results. The
study included 72 patients with Graves’ disease and thyreotoxic cardiopathy, whose medical records have been analyzed. Such criteria, as heart rate,
heart rhythm disorders, left ventricle hypertrophy, repolarization abnormalities (in ECG), ejection fraction, valve disorders, heart cavities dilation, left
ventricle hypertrophy, impaired cardiac relaxation and pulmonary hypertension (in EchoCG) have been taken into consideration. The results showed
a high percentage of patients with ECG disturbances (75%) and a high percentage of patients with EchoCG disturbances (100%). According to the
ECG results, the disturbances included heart rhythm disorders (51.4%), left ventricle hypertrophy (36.1%) and repolarization abnormalities (53.3%).
The most frequent heart rhythm disorders determined by ECG have been atrial fibrillation (19.5%), sinus tachycardia (13.9%), Guis’ fascicular blocks
(13.9%) and extrasystoles (9.7%). The EchoCG examination of the patients identified valve disorders (94.4%), the left ventricle hypertrophy (52.8%),
the left ventricle impaired relaxation (11.1%), the simultaneous dilatation of three cavities of heart (left atrium, right ventricle and right atrium) (26.4%)
and pulmonary hypertension (52.8%). However, the influence of concomitant cardiovascular diseases (25%) on the obtained results cannot be excluded,
since the moment of their appearance is unknown.
