Prevalence of electrocardiographic abnormalities in a middle-aged, biracial population: coronary artery risk development in young adults study

Joseph A. Walsh, Ronald Prineas, Martha L. Daviglus, Hongyan Ning, Kiang Liu, Cora E. Lewis, Steven Sidney, Pamela J. Schreiner, Carlos Iribarren, Donald M. Lloyd-Jones

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Few studies to date have described the prevalence of electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities in a biracial middle-aged cohort. Methods and Results: Participants underwent measurement of traditional risk factors and 12-lead ECGs coded using both Minnesota Code and Novacode criteria. Among 2585 participants, of whom 57% were women and 44% were black (mean age 45 years), the prevalence of major and minor abnormalities was significantly higher (all P < .001) among black men and women compared to whites. These differences were primarily due to higher QRS voltage and ST/T-wave abnormalities among blacks. There was also a higher prevalence of Q waves (Minnesota Code 1-1, 1-2, 1-3) than described by previous studies. These racial differences remained after multivariate adjustment for traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. Conclusions: Black men and women have a significantly higher prevalence of ECG abnormalities, independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, than whites in a contemporary cohort of middle-aged participants.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)385.e1-385.e9
JournalJournal of Electrocardiology
Volume43
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 2010

Keywords

  • Cardiovascular risk factors
  • ECG abnormalities
  • Prevalence racial differences

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Prevalence of electrocardiographic abnormalities in a middle-aged, biracial population: coronary artery risk development in young adults study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this