Association of Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Congenital Long QT Syndrome With Life-Threatening Arrhythmias in Japanese Patients

Wataru Shimizu; Hisaki Makimoto; Kenichiro Yamagata; Tsukasa Kamakura; Mitsuru Wada; Koji Miyamoto; Yuko Inoue-Yamada; Hideo Okamura; Kohei Ishibashi; Takashi Noda; Satoshi Nagase; Aya Miyazaki; Heima Sakaguchi; Isao Shiraishi; Takeru Makiyama; Seiko Ohno; Hideki Itoh; Hiroshi Watanabe; Kenshi Hayashi; Masakazu Yamagishi; Hiroshi Morita; Masao Yoshinaga; Yoshiyasu Aizawa; Kengo Kusano; Yoshihiro Miyamoto; Shiro Kamakura; Satoshi Yasuda; Hisao Ogawa; Toshihiro Tanaka; Naotaka Sumitomo; Nobuhisa Hagiwara; Keiichi Fukuda; Satoshi Ogawa; Yoshifusa Aizawa; Naomasa Makita; Tohru Ohe; Minoru Horie; Takeshi Aiba

doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2018.4925

This article has been retracted.

Retraction in: JAMA Cardiol. 2021 Apr 26 See also: PMC Retraction Policy

. 2019 Feb 13;4(3):246–254. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2018.4925

Association of Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Congenital Long QT Syndrome With Life-Threatening Arrhythmias in Japanese Patients

Wataru Shimizu ^1,^2,^✉, Hisaki Makimoto ², Kenichiro Yamagata ², Tsukasa Kamakura ², Mitsuru Wada ², Koji Miyamoto ², Yuko Inoue-Yamada ², Hideo Okamura ², Kohei Ishibashi ², Takashi Noda ², Satoshi Nagase ², Aya Miyazaki ³, Heima Sakaguchi ³, Isao Shiraishi ³, Takeru Makiyama ⁴, Seiko Ohno ^5,⁶, Hideki Itoh ⁵, Hiroshi Watanabe ⁷, Kenshi Hayashi ⁸, Masakazu Yamagishi ⁸, Hiroshi Morita ⁹, Masao Yoshinaga ¹⁰, Yoshiyasu Aizawa ¹¹, Kengo Kusano ², Yoshihiro Miyamoto ¹², Shiro Kamakura ², Satoshi Yasuda ², Hisao Ogawa ², Toshihiro Tanaka ¹³, Naotaka Sumitomo ¹⁴, Nobuhisa Hagiwara ¹⁵, Keiichi Fukuda ¹¹, Satoshi Ogawa ¹¹, Yoshifusa Aizawa ⁷, Naomasa Makita ¹⁶, Tohru Ohe ⁹, Minoru Horie ⁵, Takeshi Aiba ^2,^17,^✉

¹Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan

²Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Japan

³Department of Pediatric Cardiology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Japan

⁴Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

⁵Department of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan

⁶Department of Bioscience and Genetics, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Japan

⁷Department of Cardiovascular Biology and Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan

⁸Department of Cardiovascular and Internal Medicine, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan

⁹Department of Cardiovascular Therapeutics, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Okayama, Japan

¹⁰Department of Pediatrics, Kagoshima Medical Center, Kagoshima, Japan

¹¹Department of Cardiology, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan

¹²Division of Preventive Cardiology, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Japan

¹³Department of Human Genetics and Disease Diversity, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

¹⁴Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Saitama Medical University International Medical Center, Saitama, Japan

¹⁵Department of Cardiology, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan

¹⁶Department of Molecular Physiology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan

¹⁷Department of Advanced Arrhythmia and Translational Medical Science, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Suita, Japan

Accepted for Publication: December 14, 2018.

^✉

Corresponding Authors: Wataru Shimizu, MD, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8603, Japan (wshimizu@nms.ac.jp); Takeshi Aiba, MD, Department of Advanced Arrhythmia and Translational Medical Science, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, 5-7-1, Fujishiro-dai, Suita, Osaka, 565-8565 Japan (aiba@ncvc.go.jp).

Published Online: February 13, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2018.4925

Author Contributions: Drs Shimizu and Aiba contributed equally to this work, had full access to all the data in the study, and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Concept and design: Shimizu, Makimoto, Okamura, Shiraishi, Hayashi, Yasuda, H. Ogawa, Sumitomo, Hagiwara, S. Ogawa, Horie, Aiba.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Shimizu, Makimoto, Yamagata, T. Kamakura, Wada, K. Miyamoto, Inoue-Yamada, Ishibashi, Noda, Nagase, Miyazaki, Sakaguchi, Makiyama, Ohno, Itoh, Watanabe, Hayashi, Yamagishi, Morita, Yoshinaga, Yoshiyasu Aizawa, Kusano, Y. Miyamoto, S. Kamakura, Yasuda, Tanaka, Fukuda, Yoshifusa Aizawa, Makita, Ohe, Horie, Aiba.

Drafting of the manuscript: Shimizu, Nagase, Miyazaki, Makiyama, Hayashi, Morita, Yoshiyasu Aizawa, Yasuda, H. Ogawa, Hagiwara, Yoshifusa Aizawa, Aiba.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Shimizu, Makimoto, Yamagata, T. Kamakura, Wada, K. Miyamoto, Inoue-Yamada, Okamura, Ishibashi, Noda, Sakaguchi, Shiraishi, Ohno, Itoh, Watanabe, Yamagishi, Yoshinaga, Kusano, Y. Miyamoto, S. Kamakura, Yasuda, Tanaka, Sumitomo, Fukuda, S. Ogawa, Makita, Ohe, Horie.

Statistical analysis: Shimizu, Makimoto, Aiba.

Obtained funding: Shimizu, H. Ogawa.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Shimizu, Yamagata, K. Miyamoto, Inoue-Yamada, Nagase, Sakaguchi, Shiraishi, Hayashi, Morita, Y. Miyamoto, Yasuda, H. Ogawa, Hagiwara, Fukuda, Yoshifusa Aizawa, Aiba.

Supervision: Shimizu, Okamura, Noda, Yamagishi, S. Kamakura, Yasuda, H. Ogawa, Sumitomo, Fukuda, S. Ogawa, Yoshifusa Aizawa, Makita, Ohe, Horie, Aiba.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Drs Morita and Aiba reported being affiliated with the endowed department by Japan Medtronic Inc.

Funding/Support: Drs Shimizu and Aiba received support from a health science research grant from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan for clinical research on measures for intractable diseases (H18-002, H24-033, H26-040, and H27-032) and Japanese Circulation Society research grant for genome analysis project in cardiovascular diseases. Dr Aiba received support from a grant-in-aid for scientific research (grade C) (15K09150) from the Ministry of Education, culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan and a research grant from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (15km0305015h0101, 16ek0210073h0001).

Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funding sources had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Additional Contributions: Koko Asakura, PhD, Department of Data Science, National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, provided statistical review. She was not compensated for her contribution. We also thank the probands and relatives for their participation in this study.

^✉

Corresponding author.

PMCID: PMC6439560 PMID: 30758498

Abstract

Importance

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is caused by several ion channel genes, yet risk of arrhythmic events is not determined solely by the responsible gene pathogenic variants. Female sex after adolescence is associated with a higher risk of arrhythmic events in individuals with congenital LQTS, but the association between sex and genotype-based risk of LQTS is still unclear.

Objective

To examine the association between sex and location of the LQTS-related pathogenic variant as it pertains to the risk of life-threatening arrhythmias.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective observational study enrolled 1124 genotype-positive patients from 11 Japanese institutions from March 1, 2006, to February 28, 2013. Patients had LQTS type 1 (LQT1), type 2 (LQT2), and type 3 (LQT3) (616 probands and 508 family members), with KCNQ1 (n = 521), KCNH2 (n = 487) and SCN5A (n = 116) genes. Clinical characteristics such as age at the time of diagnosis, sex, family history, cardiac events, and several electrocardiographic measures were collected. Statistical analysis was conducted from January 18 to October 10, 2018.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Sex difference in the genotype-specific risk of congenital LQTS.

Results

Among the 1124 patients (663 females and 461 males; mean [SD] age, 20 [15] years) no sex difference was observed in risk for arrhythmic events among those younger than 15 years; in contrast, female sex was associated with a higher risk for LQT1 and LQT2 among those older than 15 years. In patients with LQT1, the pathogenic variant of the membrane-spanning site was associated with higher risk of arrhythmic events than was the pathogenic variant of the C-terminus of KCNQ1 (HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.19-2.17; P = .002), although this site-specific difference in the incidence of arrhythmic events was observed in female patients only. In patients with LQT2, those with S5-pore-S6 pathogenic variants in KCNH2 had a higher risk of arrhythmic events than did those with others (HR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.44-2.44; P < .001). This site-specific difference in incidence, however, was observed in both sexes. Regardless of the QTc interval, however, female sex itself was associated with a significantly higher risk of arrhythmic events in patients with LQT2 after puberty (106 of 192 [55.2%] vs 19 of 94 [20.2%]; P < .001). In patients with LQT3, pathogenic variants in the S5-pore-S6 segment of the Nav1.5 channel were associated with lethal arrhythmic events compared with others (HR, 4.2; 95% CI, 2.09-8.36; P < .001), but no sex difference was seen.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this retrospective analysis, pathogenic variants in the pore areas of the channels were associated with higher risk of arrhythmic events than were other variants in each genotype, while sex-associated differences were observed in patients with LQT1 and LQT2 but not in those with LQT3. The findings of this study suggest that risk for cardiac events in LQTS varies according to genotype, variant site, age, and sex.

This cohort study examines the association between sex and location of the long QT syndrome–related pathogenic variant as it pertains to the risk of life-threatening arrhythmias in Japanese patients.

Key Points

Question

Is there a sex-specific difference in the genotype-based risk stratification of long QT syndrome?

Findings

In this cohort study of 1124 genotype-positive patients with long QT syndrome, pathogenic variants in the pore areas of the channels in each genotype were associated with higher risk of arrhythmic events than other variants, while sex-associated differences were observed in patients with long QT syndrome type 1 and long QT syndrome type 2 but not in those with long QT syndrome type 3. Regardless of the QTc interval, female sex was associated with a significantly higher risk of arrhythmic events in long QT syndrome type 2.

Meaning

Risk for arrhythmic events in patients with long QT syndrome appears to vary according to genotype, variant site, age, and sex.

Introduction

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is typically characterized by QT interval prolongation on electrocardiogram results associated with syncope or sudden cardiac death in young individuals when prolongation of the QT interval induces torsade de pointes, a polymorphic ventricular tachycardia that can degenerate into ventricular fibrillation.¹ Long QT syndrome is caused by several ion channel genes, the most common of which are LQTS type 1 (LQT1) (KCNQ1 [ClinVar NG_008935]), LQT2 (KCNH2 [ClinVar NG_008916]), and LQT3 (SCN5A [ClinVar NG_008934]).^2,3 In the past 2 decades, many LQTS clinical databases have investigated genotype-phenotype correlations in the major LQTS subtypes,^4,5 indicating that genotype, QTc interval, age, and sex are determinants of risk of arrhythmic events and response to medication therapy.^6,7,8 Furthermore, not only genotype but also LQTS variant site-specific differences in risk of arrhythmic events have been reported in LQT1 and LQT2.^9,10 Treatment with β-blockers is recommended in patients with clinically diagnosed LQTS.¹¹ In patients with LQT3, on the other hand, mexiletine hydrochloride therapy can effectively shorten the QT interval and improve prognosis.^12,13 Thus, genetic studies can help identify appropriate gene-specific therapy and management for patients with LQTS.

However, the current biophysical assessments of the electrophysiological effects of LQTS-causing variants do not completely support a genotype-phenotype correlation. Female sex after adolescence is associated with a higher risk of arrhythmic events in congenital LQTS,^7,14 but the association between sex and genotype-based risk of LQTS is still unclear. Furthermore, to our knowledge, there are few systematic cohort studies on the genotype-phenotype correlation in Asian populations. Here, we hypothesized that LQTS variant site-specific risk of arrhythmic events was influenced by sex. In this LQTS genetic registry study in an Asian population, which is the largest such registry to our knowledge, we examined the association between sex and LQTS pathogenic variant site as it pertains to the risk of life-threatening arrhythmias.

Methods

Patients

A total of 1124 patients with congenital LQTS (LQT1, LQT2, and LQT3), including 616 probands and 508 family members from 11 Japanese institutions (eAppendix in the Supplement), were registered in the database from March 1, 2006, to February 28, 2013. All patients and their families had been identified as positive for a pathogenic variant in 1 of the 3 major LQT genes (KCNQ1, KCNH2, and SCN5A). The protocol for clinical and genetic analysis was approved by the Ethics Committee of the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center and performed under its guidelines (M24-031-7), and the study was registered in the UMIN Clinical Trial Registry (UMIN000020593). All patients provided written informed consent prior to genetic analysis.

Clinical Characteristics and Electrocardiographic Measurements

Clinical characteristics, such as age at the time of diagnosis, sex, family history of sudden cardiac death, time from the first visit to the index cardiac event, and several electrocardiographic measures, were collected for all probands and their families with LQTS-related variants. The 12-lead electrocardiographic factors measured were the RR, PQ, and QRS duration and the QT interval. The corrected QT interval was calculated by the Bazett formula (QTc = QT/√RR). In this study, all of these clinical measures were obtained at initial diagnosis before the administration of any β-blockers and other medications.

Genetic Analysis

Analysis of DNA was conducted by extracting genomic DNA from the leukocytes, then using a combination of polymerase chain reaction, either denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography or single-stranded conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing. Genetic screening of all probands was performed at the institutions listed in the eAppendix in the Supplement according to the conventional Sanger method, as described previously.¹⁵ Probands with a variant at either the first or the last 2 nucleotides of a particular exon were included because a substitution of such portions can alter messenger RNA splicing. A variant with high minor allele frequency (>0.001) in healthy cohorts including ethnically matched ones (gnomAD [Genome Aggregation Database]: http://gnomad.broadinstitute.org/; and TogoVar [National Bioscience Database Center’s integrated database of Japanese genomic variation] https://togovar.biosciencedbc.jp/) was considered a benign variant and was excluded from our study. We then evaluated detected variants as listed in the eAppendix in the Supplement. The pathogenic variants are presented in eTables 1-4 in the Supplement by coding effect, location, and frequency.

Statistical Analysis

Statistical analysis was conducted from January 18 to October 10, 2018. The primary end point was the time from birth until the first cardiac event (syncope, ventricular fibrillation [VF], aborted cardiac arrest, or sudden cardiac death), censoring at loss to follow-up, or age 50 years, whichever occurred first. The restricted, more severe secondary end point was VF, cardiac arrest, or death, whichever occurred first.

The JMP Pro, version 12.2.0, software (SAS Institute Inc) was used for statistical analyses. Continuous variables were expressed as the mean and SD or as the median with interquartile range. Categorical variables were expressed as numbers and percentages. We compared continuous variables using unpaired t tests or the Welch t test, based on the type of distribution. We compared categorical variables using the Pearson χ² test when appropriate or the Fisher exact test. Survival curves were plotted using Kaplan-Meier methods, and survival difference was analyzed by log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression model. All P values were from 2-sided tests and results were deemed statistically significant at P < .05.

The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to evaluate the contribution of clinical and genetic factors to the risk of the first occurrence of time-dependent cardiac events from birth to age 50 years. Cox proportional hazards regression models were stratified by sex to relax the assumption of proportional hazards by allowing sex-specific nonparametric baseline hazard functions for males and females.

Results

Clinical and Genotype Differences

As given in Table 1, the mean (SD) QTc interval of all patients was longer in those with LQT2 than in those with LQT1 (490 [46] vs 476 [46] milliseconds; P < .001), whereas the mean (SD) QTc interval of probands was longer in those with LQT2 (506 [44] milliseconds; P < .001) and LQT3 (511 [48] milliseconds; P < .001) than in those with LQT1 (486 [44] milliseconds). Many family members who had the same LQTS variant had a normal QTc interval at baseline, particularly among those with LQT1 and LQT3 (eFigure 1 in the Supplement). Age at the first arrhythmic event was younger in those with LQT1 (median [interquartile range (IQR)], 9 [6-13] years) than in those with LQT2 (15 [12-22] years) and those with LQT3 (13 [6-16] years). Syncope events were more frequently observed in those with LQT1 (212 of 521 [40.7%]) and LQT2 (238 of 487 [48.9%]) than in those with LQT3 (34 of 116 [29.3%]); however, lethal events such as cardiac arrest and VF occurred more frequently in those with LQT2 (65 of 487 [13.3%]) and LQT3 (15 of 116 [12.9%]) than in those with LQT1 (40 of 521 [7.7%]).

Table 1. Clinical Characteristics of Japanese Patients With LQTS.

Characteristic	No./Total No. (%)
Characteristic	LQT1 (n = 521)	LQT2 (n = 487)	LQT3 (n = 116)
Females	303 (58.2)	302 (62.0)	58 (50.0)
Proband	274 (52.6)	275 (56.5)	67 (57.8)
QTc, mean (SD), ms
All	476 (46)	490 (46)^a	483 (53)
Proband	486 (44)	506 (44)^b	511 (48)^b
Males	466 (45)	484 (48)	483 (61)
Females	483 (46)^c	494 (43)^c	483 (56)
Age at first event, median (IQR), y	9 (6-13)	15 (12-22)^a	13 (6-16)^a
Syncope	212 (40.7)^d	238 (48.9)^d	34 (29.3)
Cardiac arrest or VF	40 (7.7)	65 (13.3)^a	15 (12.9)^a
All cardiac arrest or VF events	40/212 (18.9)	65/238 (27.3)^a	15/34 (44.1)^a
Trigger of events
Exercise	153/212 (72.2)^e	27/238 (11.3)	3/34 (8.8)
Stress^f	10/212 (4.7)	78/238 (32.8)^a	6/34 (17.6)^a
Rest or sleep	9/212 (4.2)	70/238 (29.4)^a	17/34 (50.0)^a
Others or unknown	40/212 (18.9)	63/238 (26.5)	11/34 (32.4)
Missense variant	449 (86.2)^g	302 (62.0)	104 (89.7)^g
Pathogenic variant location^h
S5-pore-S6	204/508 (40.2)	165/479 (34.4)	21 (18.1)
Nonpore MS	125/508 (24.6)	56/479 (11.7)	37 (31.9)
N/C-terminus	179/508 (35.2)	258/479 (53.9)	58 (50.0)

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Abbreviations: IQR, interquartile range; LQT1, LQTS type 1; LQT2, LQTS type 2; LQT3, LQTS type 3; LQTS, long QT syndrome; MS, membrane spanning; S5-pore-S6, variants of pore site and segment 5 (S5) to segment 6 (S6); VF, ventricular fibrillation.

^{^a}

P < .05 vs LQT1.

^{^b}

P < .01 vs LQT1.

^{^c}

P < .05 vs males.

^{^d}

P < .05 vs LQT3.

^{^e}

P < .05 vs LQT2 and LQT3.

^{^f}

Including arousal or emotional stress.

^{^g}

P < .05 vs LQT2.

^{^h}

P < .001 by Pearson χ² analysis.

Kaplan-Meier cumulative analysis of first arrhythmic events revealed that syncope or lethal cardiac events occurred between ages 5 and 15 years in those with LQT1, whereas in patients with LQT2 such events occurred after the teen years and gradually increased in frequency with age (eFigure 2A in the Supplement). After age 25 years, the cumulative probability of syncope or lethal cardiac events was higher in those with LQT2 than in those with LQT1. Those events were significantly less common in patients with LQT3 than in those with LQT1 or LQT2, yet they could occur in patients with LQT3 at any age, even in infancy. On the other hand, rates and timing of VF and cardiac arrest were similar between the genotypes (eFigure 2B in the Supplement). Thus, the rate of lethal cardiac events was higher in patients with LQT3 (15 of 34 [44.1%]) and LQT2 (65 of 238 [27.3%]) than in those with LQT1 (40 of 212 [18.9%]) (P < .001).

All variants of the major LQTS genes in this study are provided in eTable 1 in the Supplement. Most of the pathogenic variants in LQT1 (449 of 524 [85.9%]) and LQT3 (104 of 116 [89.7%]) were of the missense type, whereas 185 of 487 variants in LQT2 (38.0%) were non-missense (eg, deletion and frame shift), which are located mainly in the N/C-terminus. The frequency of pore site pathogenic variants was larger in those with LQT1 (204 of 508 [40.2%]) and LQT2 (165 of 479 [34.4%]) than in those with LQT3 (21 of 116 [18%]) (Table 1). The frequency of nonpore membrane spanning was larger in those with LQT1 (125 of 508 [24.6%]) and LQT3 (37 of 116 [31.9%]) than in those with LQT2 (56 of 479 [11.7%]) (P < .001).

Sex Differences in Genotype-Specific Risk

In patients with LQT1 prior to puberty (age, 15 years), no sex difference was observed in risk for cardiac events. After puberty, in contrast, female sex was associated with higher risk than male sex (27 of 137 [19.7%] vs 3 of 67 [4.5%]; P = .004 by χ² test) (Figure 1A and D). In patients with LQT2, similar to those with LQT1, no sex difference was observed before puberty; after puberty, females had significantly higher risk of arrhythmic events than did males (106 of 192 [55.2%] vs 19 of 94 [20.2%]; P < .001 by χ² test) (Figure 1B and E). This association might be related to a hormonal sex difference. In patients with LQT3, on the other hand, no sex difference was observed before or after puberty (Figure 1C and F).

Figure 1. — A, Syncope or lethal cardiac events in patients with long QT syndrome 1 (LQT1). B, Syncope or lethal cardiac events in patients with LQT2. C, Syncope or lethal cardiac events in patients with LQT3. D, Sex- and age-dependent differences in syncope or lethal cardiac events in patients with LQT1. E, Sex- and age-dependent differences in syncope or lethal cardiac events in patients with LQT2. F, Sex- and age-dependent differences in syncope or lethal cardiac events in patients with LQT3.

^aP = .004 compared with males.

^bP < .001 by χ² test compared with males.

Variant Site-Specific Differences and Sex Differences in Cardiac Events

In patients with LQT1, pathogenic variants in the pore region (segment 5 to segment 6 [S5-pore-S6]) and nonpore membrane spanning region were associated with higher risk of arrhythmic events than were variants in the N/C-terminus (HR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.19-2.17; P = .002) (Figure 2A); lethal events were particularly frequent in patients with LQT1 with the S5-pore-S6 pathogenic variant (Figure 2B). In patients with LQT2, those with S5-pore-S6 pathogenic variants had higher risk of arrhythmic events than did those with variants in other regions (HR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.44-2.44; P < .001) (Figure 2C); in contrast to patients with LQT1, however, lethal cardiac events were not more common in those with LQT2 with pore site pathogenic variants (Figure 2D). In patients with LQT3, nearly half (50 of 116 [43.1%]) the patients had the E1784K variant, but patients with S5-pore-S6 pathogenic variants (21 of 116 [18.1%]) had a much higher risk of cardiac events than did those with others (HR, 4.2; 95% CI, 2.09-8.36; P < .001). Most pathogenic variants in the N/C-terminus were the E1784K variant and carried a lower risk of arrhythmic events than those of other regions (Figure 2E and F).

Figure 2. — A, Syncope or lethal cardiac events in patients with long QT syndrome 1 (LQT1). B, Only lethal cardiac events, including ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest, in patients with LQT1. C, Syncope or lethal cardiac events in patients with LQT2. D, Only lethal cardiac events, including ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest, in patients with LQT2. E, Syncope or lethal cardiac events in patients with LQT3. F, Only lethal cardiac events, including ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest, in patients with LQT3. N/C-term indicates N-terminus or C-terminus variants; nonpore MS, membrane-spanning variants excluding the S5-pore-S6; and S5-pore-S6, variants of pore site and segment 5 (S5) to segment 6 (S6).

We further investigated sex differences in variant site-specific cumulative first cardiac events in patients with LQT1 and those with LQT2. In male patients with LQT1, no significant difference between variant sites was observed with regard to first events (Figure 3A); in female patients with LQT1, in contrast, there was a significant difference between variant sites with regard to first events: a significantly higher risk of arrhythmic events was associated with the S5-pore-S6 region (Figure 3B). In patients with LQT2, a significantly higher risk of arrhythmic events was associated with the S5-pore-S6 pathogenic variant in both sexes (Figure 3C and D). However, the mean (SD) event-free rate at age 30 years in males was 0.37 (0.08) for the S5-pore-S6 pathogenic variant, 0.64 (0.10) for the nonpore membrane spanning variant, and 0.71 (0.06) for the N/C-terminus variant. In contrast, the mean (SD) event-free rate at age 30 years in females was 0.38 (0.03) for the S5-pore-S6 pathogenic variant, 0.39 (0.10) for the nonpore membrane spanning variant, and 0.43 (0.04) for the N/C-terminus variant. Thus, the variant site–specific difference in risk was much greater in males with LQT2 compared with females with LQT2 because female sex itself was a greater risk in LQT2.

Figure 3. — A, First cardiac events, including syncope and lethal cardiac events, in male patients with long QT syndrome 1 (LQT1). B, First cardiac events, including syncope and lethal cardiac events, in female patients with LQT1. C, First cardiac events, including syncope and lethal cardiac events, in male patients with LQT2. D, First cardiac events, including syncope and lethal cardiac events, in female patients with long LQT2. N/C-term indicates N-terminus or C-terminus variants; nonpore MS, membrane-spanning variants excluding the S5-pore-S6; and S5-pore-S6, variants of pore site and segment 5 (S5) to segment 6 (S6).

Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was also investigated for the first cardiac events including syncope, VF, or cardiac arrest (Table 2). The prolongation of the QTc interval was associated with cardiac events in patients of both sexes with LQT1 (males: hazard ratio [HR], 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.12; and females: HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02-1.10); however, in patients with LQT2, prolongation of the QTc interval was seen only in males (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.03-1.15) but not in females (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.99-1.06). In variant location, the pore region was associated with a higher risk of arrhythmic events in females with LQT1 (HR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.02-2.93; P = .006) but not in males with LQT1 (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.75-2.17; P = .36). In patients with LQT2, the pore region–specific difference was observed both in males (HR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.11-3.57; P = .02) and females (HR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.18-2.27; P = .003).

Table 2. Multivariable Cox Proportional Hazards Regression Model Analysis for Risk of Cardiac Events: First Cardiac Events (Syncope, VF, or Aborted Cardiac Arrest).

Characteristic	Males		Females
Characteristic	HR (95% CI)	P Value	HR (95% CI)	P Value
LQT1
Probands per family	1.44 (0.83-2.43)	.17	1.92 (1.28-2.88)	.002
Year of birth per 1-y increase	1.02 (1.00-1.03)	.03	1.01 (1.00-1.03)	.01
QTc per 10-ms increase	1.07 (1.02-1.12)	.006	1.06 (1.02-1.10)	.003
Pathogenic variant location
S5-pore-S6 vs N/C-term	1.28 (0.75-2.17)	.36	1.88 (1.02-2.93)	.006
Nonpore MS vs N/C-term	1.50 (0.87-2.58)	.15	1.37 (0.81-2.33)	.25
S5-pore-S6 vs nonpore MS	0.85 (0.49-1.47)	.15	1.37 (0.86-2.18)	.19
LQT2
Probands per family	3.62 (1.82-7.20)	<.001	3.14 (1.97-5.00)	<.001
Year of birth per 1-y increase	1.03 (1.01-1.05)	<.001	1.06 (1.05-1.08)	<.001
QTc per 10-ms increase	1.09 (1.03-1.15)	.002	1.03 (0.99-1.06)	.11
Pathogenic variant location
S5-pore-S6 vs N/C-term	1.99 (1.11-3.57)	.02	1.64 (1.18-2.27)	.003
Nonpore MS vs N/C-term	1.54 (0.71-3.38)	.28	0.94 (0.54-1.63)	.82
S5-pore-S6 vs nonpore MS	1.29 (0.59-2.82)	.53	1.75 (0.99-3.09)	.05

Open in a new tab

Abbreviations: HR, hazard ratio; LQT1, long QT syndrome type 1; LQT2, long QT syndrome type 2; MS, membrane spanning; N/C-term, N-terminus or C-terminus variant; S5-pore-S6, variants of pore site and segment 5 (S5) to segment 6 (S6); VF, ventricular fibrillation.

Discussion

This multicenter registry is, to our knowledge, the first major cohort study of congenital LQTS in an Asian population and includes more than 1100 Japanese patients with LQTS or families who had the same pathogenic variant. Overall, our clinical findings, including those related to cardiac events in each LQTS genotype, are similar to those previously reported in registries of white patients or international registries.^6,8,16 However, pathogenic variants are not exactly equivalent between races/ethnicities,¹⁷ and some specific variants are well observed in Asian (Japanese) populations. Thus, our genetic database may aid in diagnosis and risk stratification for Asian patients with LQTS. Second, this study focused on how sex differences were associated with the effect of different variant sites in the prognosis of LQTS. In patients with LQT1, higher risks of arrhythmic events associated with pore site pathogenic variants were observed only in females. In patients with LQT2, although the variant site–specific higher risk in the S5-pore-S6 region was observed in both sexes, female sex particularly after puberty was associated with a greater risk of arrhythmic events compared with male sex regardless of the QTc interval. In patients with LQT3, on the other hand, no sex difference was seen.

Not only genotype-specific but also pathogenic variant site–specific differences in risk of arrhythmic events have been reported in patients with LQT1 and LQT2,^9,10 suggesting that variants located in the pore sites of ion channels were associated with significantly higher risk of arrhythmic events than were variants in nonpore sites. Pore site pathogenic variants had already been reported in 118 Japanese patients with LQT2,¹⁸ with a risk of arrhythmic events similar to that seen in an international registry.¹⁰ The present Japanese LQTS registry also demonstrates that, as in the international registry, pore site pathogenic variants are associated with a higher risk of arrhythmic events in patients with LQT1 and LQT2,^9,10 especially those with LQT2. Barsheshet et al¹⁹ have previously reported that missense variants in C-loops of KCNQ1 channels were more highly arrhythmogenic than those in the membrane spanning location and other locations. In this Japanese registry, however, both C-loop and membrane spanning variants were equally higher risk compared with the N/C-terminus variants (eFigure 3 in the Supplement).

Female sex is well known to be a modifier for prolongation of the QT interval and arrhythmic events after the onset of adolescence.⁷ In our study, female patients with LQT1 and LQT2 after puberty had significantly higher risks of arrhythmic events compared with male patients (Figure 1D and E). Furthermore, higher risk of arrhythmic events associated with the pore site LQT2 variant was observed in both sexes, but cumulative risk of arrhythmic events of other regions was higher in females with LQT2 than in males with LQT2 (Figure 3C and D), since female sex itself is already associated with elevated risk even in cases of nonpore pathogenic variants. In LQT1, in contrast, female patients with pore site variants had noticeably higher risk of arrhythmic events than did those with nonpore site variants (Figure 3), whereas no variant site-specific difference was observed in male patients with LQT1 (Figure 3A). Thus, the variant site–specific differences in risk of arrhythmic events in patients with LQTS are sex dependent. Our results further advance those of previous studies^20,21 and suggest that combined assessment of sex and variant location and function data is useful to identify high-risk patients with LQT1 and LQT2.

On the other hand, no sex-specific difference was observed in patients with LQT3. In the present registry, nearly 40% of patients with LQT3 had the E1784K variant, but these patients exhibited a lower risk of arrhythmic events, whereas those with pore site pathogenic variants had significantly higher risk of arrhythmic events (Figure 2E and F). Prolonged QTc and syncope predispose patients with LQT3 to life-threatening cardiac events. However, a recent article has suggested that β-blocker therapy reduces this risk in females; its efficacy in males, however, could not be determined conclusively because of the small number of events.²²

Limitations

This study gathered 16 individuals with compound heterozygous pathogenic variants but excluded them from analysis. This study has not taken into account whether polymorphism is associated with either lengthening or shortening of the QT interval or any effect that polymorphism may have on risk of arrhythmic events.²³ Not only pathogenic variants but also rare single-nucleotide polymorphisms can affect the QT interval and risk of arrhythmias. Because we have access to follow-up data for many of the registry patients, our further investigations will aim to reveal the efficacy of β-blocker therapy as associated with genotypes, pathogenic variants, rare single-nucleotide polymorphisms, and sex differences.

Second, although the S5-pore-S6 variant of LQT3 in this registry was not always associated with Brugada syndrome or other conduction disorders, patients with the SCN5A variant have a potential for mixed phenotypes, which are hard to be separated. Thus, we could not completely exclude the possibility of the mixed phenotype as the cause of lethal ventricular arrhythmias.

Third, this Japanese LQTS registry enrolled patients with a relatively recent diagnosis of LQTS (2006-2013). On the other hand, a previous study⁷ had already reported a greater risk of LQT1 in prepubertal boys than in prepubertal girls, which may lead to more significant limitation in exercise in school-aged children, especially for boys; therefore, this limitation may have resulted in no sex difference at risk before age 15 years in this Japanese registry.

Conclusions

In this retrospective analysis, our findings suggest that pathogenic variants in the pore areas of the channels were associated with higher risk of arrhythmic events than were other variants in each genotype, while sex-associated differences were observed in patients with LQT1 and LQT2 but not in those with LQT3. Risk for cardiac events in patients with LQTS appears to vary according to genotype, variant site, age, and sex.

Supplement.

eAppendix. Methods

eTable 1. LQT1 Mutations or Rare Variants

eTable 2. LQT2 Mutations or Rare Variants

eTable 3. LQT3 Mutations or Rare Variants

eTable 4. SCN5A Mutations/Variants in Japanese LQTS Registry

eFigure 1. Distribution of QTc Intervals in Genotyped Congenital Long QT Syndrome

eFigure 2. Cumulative Probability of First Event in Each Genotype of Congenital Long-QT Syndrome

eFigure 3. Mutation Site-Specific Difference in Syncope or Lethal Cardiac Events in LQT1

Click here for additional data file.^{(326.5KB, pdf)}

References

1.Schwartz PJ, Crotti L, Insolia R. Long-QT syndrome: from genetics to management. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2012;5(4):868-877. doi: 10.1161/CIRCEP.111.962019 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
2.Shimizu W. Update of diagnosis and management of inherited cardiac arrhythmias. Circ J. 2013;77(12):2867-2872. doi: 10.1253/circj.CJ-13-1217 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
3.Nakano Y, Shimizu W. Genetics of long-QT syndrome. J Hum Genet. 2016;61(1):51-55. doi: 10.1038/jhg.2015.74 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
4.Tester DJ, Will ML, Haglund CM, Ackerman MJ. Compendium of cardiac channel mutations in 541 consecutive unrelated patients referred for long QT syndrome genetic testing. Heart Rhythm. 2005;2(5):507-517. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2005.01.020 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
5.Kapplinger JD, Tester DJ, Salisbury BA, et al. . Spectrum and prevalence of mutations from the first 2,500 consecutive unrelated patients referred for the FAMILION long QT syndrome genetic test. Heart Rhythm. 2009;6(9):1297-1303. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2009.05.021 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
6.Zareba W, Moss AJ, Schwartz PJ, et al. ; International Long-QT Syndrome Registry Research Group . Influence of the genotype on the clinical course of the long-QT syndrome. N Engl J Med. 1998;339(14):960-965. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199810013391404 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
7.Zareba W, Moss AJ, Locati EH, et al. ; International Long QT Syndrome Registry . Modulating effects of age and gender on the clinical course of long QT syndrome by genotype. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003;42(1):103-109. doi: 10.1016/S0735-1097(03)00554-0 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
8.Priori SG, Schwartz PJ, Napolitano C, et al. . Risk stratification in the long-QT syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(19):1866-1874. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa022147 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
9.Moss AJ, Shimizu W, Wilde AA, et al. . Clinical aspects of type-1 long-QT syndrome by location, coding type, and biophysical function of mutations involving the KCNQ1 gene. Circulation. 2007;115(19):2481-2489. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.665406 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
10.Shimizu W, Moss AJ, Wilde AA, et al. . Genotype-phenotype aspects of type 2 long QT syndrome. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;54(22):2052-2062. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2009.08.028 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
11.Priori SG, Blomström-Lundqvist C, Mazzanti A, et al. ; ESC Scientific Document Group . 2015 ESC guidelines for the management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death: the Task Force for the Management of Patients with Ventricular Arrhythmias and the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Endorsed by: Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC). Eur Heart J. 2015;36(41):2793-2867. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehv316 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
12.Funasako M, Aiba T, Ishibashi K, et al. . Pronounced shortening of QT interval with mexiletine infusion test in patients with type 3 congenital long QT syndrome. Circ J. 2016;80(2):340-345. doi: 10.1253/circj.CJ-15-0984 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
13.Mazzanti A, Maragna R, Faragli A, et al. . Gene-specific therapy with mexiletine reduces arrhythmic events in patients with long QT syndrome type 3. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016;67(9):1053-1058. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2015.12.033 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
14.Locati EH, Zareba W, Moss AJ, et al. . Age- and sex-related differences in clinical manifestations in patients with congenital long-QT syndrome: findings from the International LQTS Registry. Circulation. 1998;97(22):2237-2244. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.97.22.2237 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
15.Ichikawa M, Aiba T, Ohno S, et al. . Phenotypic variability of ANK2 mutations in patients with inherited primary arrhythmia syndromes. Circ J. 2016;80(12):2435-2442. doi: 10.1253/circj.CJ-16-0486 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
16.Schwartz PJ, Priori SG, Spazzolini C, et al. . Genotype-phenotype correlation in the long-QT syndrome: gene-specific triggers for life-threatening arrhythmias. Circulation. 2001;103(1):89-95. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.103.1.89 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
17.Liu JF, Goldenberg I, Moss AJ, et al. . Phenotypic variability in Caucasian and Japanese patients with matched LQT1 mutations. Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol. 2008;13(3):234-241. doi: 10.1111/j.1542-474X.2008.00226.x [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
18.Nagaoka I, Shimizu W, Itoh H, et al. . Mutation site dependent variability of cardiac events in Japanese LQT2 form of congenital long-QT syndrome. Circ J. 2008;72(5):694-699. doi: 10.1253/circj.72.694 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
19.Barsheshet A, Goldenberg I, O-Uchi J, et al. . Mutations in cytoplasmic loops of the KCNQ1 channel and the risk of life-threatening events: implications for mutation-specific response to β-blocker therapy in type 1 long-QT syndrome. Circulation. 2012;125(16):1988-1996. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.048041 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
20.Migdalovich D, Moss AJ, Lopes CM, et al. . Mutation and gender-specific risk in type 2 long QT syndrome: implications for risk stratification for life-threatening cardiac events in patients with long QT syndrome. Heart Rhythm. 2011;8(10):1537-1543. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2011.03.049 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
21.Costa J, Lopes CM, Barsheshet A, et al. . Combined assessment of sex- and mutation-specific information for risk stratification in type 1 long QT syndrome. Heart Rhythm. 2012;9(6):892-898. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2012.01.020 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
22.Wilde AA, Moss AJ, Kaufman ES, et al. . Clinical aspects of type 3 long-QT syndrome: an international multicenter study. Circulation. 2016;134(12):872-882. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.021823 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
23.Duchatelet S, Crotti L, Peat RA, et al. . Identification of a KCNQ1 polymorphism acting as a protective modifier against arrhythmic risk in long-QT syndrome. Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2013;6(4):354-361. doi: 10.1161/CIRCGENETICS.113.000023 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Associated Data

This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.

Supplementary Materials

Supplement.

eAppendix. Methods

eTable 1. LQT1 Mutations or Rare Variants

eTable 2. LQT2 Mutations or Rare Variants

eTable 3. LQT3 Mutations or Rare Variants

eTable 4. SCN5A Mutations/Variants in Japanese LQTS Registry

eFigure 1. Distribution of QTc Intervals in Genotyped Congenital Long QT Syndrome

eFigure 2. Cumulative Probability of First Event in Each Genotype of Congenital Long-QT Syndrome

eFigure 3. Mutation Site-Specific Difference in Syncope or Lethal Cardiac Events in LQT1

Click here for additional data file.^{(326.5KB, pdf)}

[hoi180078r1] 1.Schwartz PJ, Crotti L, Insolia R. Long-QT syndrome: from genetics to management. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2012;5(4):868-877. doi: 10.1161/CIRCEP.111.962019 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r2] 2.Shimizu W. Update of diagnosis and management of inherited cardiac arrhythmias. Circ J. 2013;77(12):2867-2872. doi: 10.1253/circj.CJ-13-1217 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r3] 3.Nakano Y, Shimizu W. Genetics of long-QT syndrome. J Hum Genet. 2016;61(1):51-55. doi: 10.1038/jhg.2015.74 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r4] 4.Tester DJ, Will ML, Haglund CM, Ackerman MJ. Compendium of cardiac channel mutations in 541 consecutive unrelated patients referred for long QT syndrome genetic testing. Heart Rhythm. 2005;2(5):507-517. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2005.01.020 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r5] 5.Kapplinger JD, Tester DJ, Salisbury BA, et al. . Spectrum and prevalence of mutations from the first 2,500 consecutive unrelated patients referred for the FAMILION long QT syndrome genetic test. Heart Rhythm. 2009;6(9):1297-1303. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2009.05.021 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r6] 6.Zareba W, Moss AJ, Schwartz PJ, et al. ; International Long-QT Syndrome Registry Research Group . Influence of the genotype on the clinical course of the long-QT syndrome. N Engl J Med. 1998;339(14):960-965. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199810013391404 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r7] 7.Zareba W, Moss AJ, Locati EH, et al. ; International Long QT Syndrome Registry . Modulating effects of age and gender on the clinical course of long QT syndrome by genotype. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003;42(1):103-109. doi: 10.1016/S0735-1097(03)00554-0 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r8] 8.Priori SG, Schwartz PJ, Napolitano C, et al. . Risk stratification in the long-QT syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(19):1866-1874. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa022147 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r9] 9.Moss AJ, Shimizu W, Wilde AA, et al. . Clinical aspects of type-1 long-QT syndrome by location, coding type, and biophysical function of mutations involving the KCNQ1 gene. Circulation. 2007;115(19):2481-2489. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.665406 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r10] 10.Shimizu W, Moss AJ, Wilde AA, et al. . Genotype-phenotype aspects of type 2 long QT syndrome. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;54(22):2052-2062. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2009.08.028 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r11] 11.Priori SG, Blomström-Lundqvist C, Mazzanti A, et al. ; ESC Scientific Document Group . 2015 ESC guidelines for the management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death: the Task Force for the Management of Patients with Ventricular Arrhythmias and the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Endorsed by: Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC). Eur Heart J. 2015;36(41):2793-2867. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehv316 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r12] 12.Funasako M, Aiba T, Ishibashi K, et al. . Pronounced shortening of QT interval with mexiletine infusion test in patients with type 3 congenital long QT syndrome. Circ J. 2016;80(2):340-345. doi: 10.1253/circj.CJ-15-0984 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r13] 13.Mazzanti A, Maragna R, Faragli A, et al. . Gene-specific therapy with mexiletine reduces arrhythmic events in patients with long QT syndrome type 3. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016;67(9):1053-1058. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2015.12.033 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r14] 14.Locati EH, Zareba W, Moss AJ, et al. . Age- and sex-related differences in clinical manifestations in patients with congenital long-QT syndrome: findings from the International LQTS Registry. Circulation. 1998;97(22):2237-2244. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.97.22.2237 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r15] 15.Ichikawa M, Aiba T, Ohno S, et al. . Phenotypic variability of ANK2 mutations in patients with inherited primary arrhythmia syndromes. Circ J. 2016;80(12):2435-2442. doi: 10.1253/circj.CJ-16-0486 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r16] 16.Schwartz PJ, Priori SG, Spazzolini C, et al. . Genotype-phenotype correlation in the long-QT syndrome: gene-specific triggers for life-threatening arrhythmias. Circulation. 2001;103(1):89-95. doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.103.1.89 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r17] 17.Liu JF, Goldenberg I, Moss AJ, et al. . Phenotypic variability in Caucasian and Japanese patients with matched LQT1 mutations. Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol. 2008;13(3):234-241. doi: 10.1111/j.1542-474X.2008.00226.x [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r18] 18.Nagaoka I, Shimizu W, Itoh H, et al. . Mutation site dependent variability of cardiac events in Japanese LQT2 form of congenital long-QT syndrome. Circ J. 2008;72(5):694-699. doi: 10.1253/circj.72.694 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r19] 19.Barsheshet A, Goldenberg I, O-Uchi J, et al. . Mutations in cytoplasmic loops of the KCNQ1 channel and the risk of life-threatening events: implications for mutation-specific response to β-blocker therapy in type 1 long-QT syndrome. Circulation. 2012;125(16):1988-1996. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.048041 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r20] 20.Migdalovich D, Moss AJ, Lopes CM, et al. . Mutation and gender-specific risk in type 2 long QT syndrome: implications for risk stratification for life-threatening cardiac events in patients with long QT syndrome. Heart Rhythm. 2011;8(10):1537-1543. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2011.03.049 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r21] 21.Costa J, Lopes CM, Barsheshet A, et al. . Combined assessment of sex- and mutation-specific information for risk stratification in type 1 long QT syndrome. Heart Rhythm. 2012;9(6):892-898. doi: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2012.01.020 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r22] 22.Wilde AA, Moss AJ, Kaufman ES, et al. . Clinical aspects of type 3 long-QT syndrome: an international multicenter study. Circulation. 2016;134(12):872-882. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.021823 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

[hoi180078r23] 23.Duchatelet S, Crotti L, Peat RA, et al. . Identification of a KCNQ1 polymorphism acting as a protective modifier against arrhythmic risk in long-QT syndrome. Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2013;6(4):354-361. doi: 10.1161/CIRCGENETICS.113.000023 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

PERMALINK

This article has been retracted.

Association of Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Congenital Long QT Syndrome With Life-Threatening Arrhythmias in Japanese Patients

Wataru Shimizu, MD

Hisaki Makimoto, MD

Kenichiro Yamagata, MD

Tsukasa Kamakura, MD

Mitsuru Wada, MD

Koji Miyamoto, MD

Yuko Inoue-Yamada, MD

Hideo Okamura, MD

Kohei Ishibashi, MD

Takashi Noda, MD

Satoshi Nagase, MD

Aya Miyazaki, MD

Heima Sakaguchi, MD

Isao Shiraishi, MD

Takeru Makiyama, MD

Seiko Ohno, MD

Hideki Itoh, MD

Hiroshi Watanabe, MD

Kenshi Hayashi, MD

Masakazu Yamagishi, MD

Hiroshi Morita, MD

Masao Yoshinaga, MD

Yoshiyasu Aizawa, MD

Kengo Kusano, MD

Yoshihiro Miyamoto, MD

Shiro Kamakura, MD

Satoshi Yasuda, MD

Hisao Ogawa, MD

Toshihiro Tanaka, MD

Naotaka Sumitomo, MD

Nobuhisa Hagiwara, MD

Keiichi Fukuda, MD

Satoshi Ogawa, MD

Yoshifusa Aizawa, MD

Naomasa Makita, MD

Tohru Ohe, MD

Minoru Horie, MD

Takeshi Aiba, MD

Abstract

Importance

Objective

Design, Setting, and Participants

Main Outcomes and Measures

Results

Conclusions and Relevance

Key Points

Question

Findings

Meaning

Introduction

Methods

Patients

Clinical Characteristics and Electrocardiographic Measurements

Genetic Analysis

Statistical Analysis

Results

Clinical and Genotype Differences

Table 1. Clinical Characteristics of Japanese Patients With LQTS.

Sex Differences in Genotype-Specific Risk

Figure 1. Sex Differences in Cardiac Events Including Syncope or Lethal Cardiac Events Including Ventricular Fibrillation and Cardiac Arrest in Patients With Long QT Syndrome.

Variant Site-Specific Differences and Sex Differences in Cardiac Events

Figure 2. Pathogenic Variant Site–Specific Differences in Outcomes Among Patients With Long QT Syndrome .

Figure 3. Pathogenic Variant Site-Specific Difference in the First Cardiac Events .

Table 2. Multivariable Cox Proportional Hazards Regression Model Analysis for Risk of Cardiac Events: First Cardiac Events (Syncope, VF, or Aborted Cardiac Arrest).

Discussion

Limitations

Conclusions

References

Associated Data

Supplementary Materials

ACTIONS

PERMALINK

RESOURCES

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