Table 2.

Baseline characteristics, patients with cLQTS and age-matched, sex-matched and employment status–matched control population

	Patients with cLQTS aged 18–60 available for the workforce prior to diagnosis (n=298)	Matched control group (n=1192)	P value
Sex (female)	192 (64.4)	768 (64.4)	–
Age at diagnosis, years (median (IQR))	38.6 (28.0, 47.9)	38.6 (28.0, 47.9)	–
Social factors
Education level at diagnosis			0.69
Basic school <10 years (ISCED 0–2)	62 (22.3)	276 (24.8)
High school or vocational education (ISCED 3)	130 (46.8)	505 (45.4)
Higher education (ISCED 5–8)	86 (30.9)	332 (29.8)
Living alone	103 (35.0)	351 (31.2)	0.24
Employment status at baseline
Employed	230 (77.2)	920 (77.2)
Study, maternity leave, vacation	43 (14.4)	172 (14.4)
Unemployed	25 (8.4)	100 (8.4)
Income			0.85
1st quartile (lowest)	75 (25.2)	271 (23.6)
2nd quartile	74 (24.8)	304 (26.5)
3rd quartile	74 (24.8)	269 (23.5)
4th quartile (highest)	75 (25.2)	302 (26.4)
Disease factors
Disease manifestation
Aborted cardiac arrest	27 (9.1)	–
VT or syncope	58 (19.5)	–
Unspecified	130 (43.6)	–
Asymptomatic	83 (27.9)	–
Comorbidities prior to date of diagnosis
Diabetes	12 (4.0)	9 (0.8)	<0.0001
Hypertension	31 (10.4)	41 (3.4)	<0.0001
Ischaemic heart disease	12 (4.0)	7 (0.6)	<0.0001
Atrial fibrillation	7 (2.3)	≤3	<0.0001
Epilepsy	4 (1.3)	≤3	0.02
Any psychiatric diagnosis	23 (7.7)	53 (4.4)	0.03
Concomitant pharmacotherapy, <90 days prior to date of diagnosis
Beta-blockers	89 (29.9)	19 (1.6)	<0.0001
Calcium antagonists	7 (2.3)	18 (1.5)	0.45
ACE inhibitors	12 (4.0)	16 (1.3)	0.005
Thiazides	6 (2.0)	16 (1.3)	0.55
Lipid-lowering drugs	11 (3.7)	25 (2.1)	0.16
Antiepileptics	6 (2.0)	9 (0.8)	0.10
Antidepressants	14 (4.7)	44 (3.7)	0.52
Anxiolytics	10 (3.4)	22 (1.8)	0.17

cLQTS, congenital long QT syndrome; ISCED, International Standard Classification of Education; VT, ventricular tachycardia.