Background. In this study, we evaluated the association between diastolic dysfunction severity and severity of cirrhosis in nonalcoholic cirrhotic patients. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted on all nonalcoholic cirrhotic patients who were admitted in Rasht Razi hospital the Cancer of Guilan Province, north of Iran, from January 2011 to March 2012. Severity of cirrhosis was evaluated by Child-Pugh score. A 12-lead surface ECG and echocardiographic studies were performed. We used a HDI 3000 (Philips ATL, Bothell, WA, USA) equipped with 2 to 4 MHz probes. Diastolic function was determined by an expert cardiac sonographer. Data were analyzed by SPSS for win (version16). A P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results. Sixty-tree percent of patients were male. The mean age of patients was 52.78 ± 15.2 years. 22%, 38%, and 40% of patients were considered as child class A, B, and C, respectively. There was a significant relation between diastolic dysfunction and disease duration (P = 0.001), female gender (P = 0.004), age > 60 years (P = 0.045), and severity of cirrhosis (P = 0.048). On multivariate analysis, decreased E/A ratio (P = 0.03) and disease duration (P = 0.02) showed an independent significant relation. Conclusion. According to the relation between severity of cirrhosis and diastolic dysfunction, we recommend cardiac assessment in all child B and C cirrhotic patients.

Introduction: Chronic liver disease is a major health problem and important causes of mortality and morbidity. Cirrhosis is associated with cardiovascular abnormalities. QT interval prolongation is one of the electrophysiological indicators of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. So in this study we evaluated the QTc interval prolongation and cirrhosis severity in non-alcoholic patients admitted in Razi hospital in Rasht during 2011-2012. Material & methods:This survey was conducted as a cross-sectional descriptive study. A 12-lead surface ECG and echocardiographic study was obtained from all subjects. A 12-lead electrocardiogram recorded at 50 mm/second to measure the QT interval. The mean QT interval in every 12 leads was documented for each patient. The QT corrected for RR (QTc) was calculated. The quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed by Chi-square, ANOVA, Linear regression test and Fisher's exact tests. Results:The mean of age was 52.78±15.2. Sixty-three persons were male, and others were female. The most common cause of cirrhosis in our study population was Hepatitis C virus. Prolonged QTc interval was seen in 48% of subjects. There was no significant correlation between age and mean of laboratory data and QTc prolongation (P>0.05). There was no significant correlation between causes of cirrhosis and QTc prolongation (P>0.05). There was significant correlation between severity of cirrhosis and QTc (P=0.020). Conclusion:Majority of patients with cirrhosis showed QTc interval prolongation, which related significantly with worsening the severity of the disease, regardless of the etiology of cirrhosis.