Summary
The atrioventricular conduction time (P-R interval) was determined in 189 women and 90 men with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Only three women and one man were found to have pathological prolongation of the P-R interval. However, a significant prolongation of the P-R interval, within normal range, was seen in women with RA compared with healthy controls. Apart from the relation to radiographically enlarged heart, prolonged P-R interval showed no association with other signs of RA and had no prognostic implications in the follow-up period (mean 5.4 years). Current chloroquine therapy delayed the atrioventricular conduction while corticosteroids accelerated it.
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Jurik, A.G., Møller, P. Atrioventricular conduction time in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatol Int 5, 205–207 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00541337
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00541337