Age and gender differences of basic electrocardiographic values and abnormalities in the general adult population; Tehran Cohort Study

• Published in: BMC cardiovascular disorders Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 303 - 13
• Main Authors: Ahmadi, Pooria, Afzalian, Arian, Jalali, Arash, Sadeghian, Saeed, Masoudkabir, Farzad, Oraii, Alireza, Ayati, Aryan, Nayebirad, Sepehr, Pezeshki, Parmida Sadat, Lotfi Tokaldani, Masoumeh, Shafiee, Akbar, Mohammadi, Mohammad, Sanei, Elham, Tajdini, Masih, Hosseini, Kaveh
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 16.06.2023; BioMed Central Ltd; BMC
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Age distribution; Age groups; Analysis; Angiology; Arrhythmia; Atrial Fibrillation; Blood pressure; Blood Transfusion Medicine; Bundle-Branch Block; Cardiac arrhythmia; Cardiac Surgery; Cardiology; Cardiovascular diseases; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Demographic aspects; Diagnosis; ECG abnormalities; EKG; Electrocardiogram; Electrocardiography; Epidemiology; Female; Gender; Gender differences; Heart; Heart rate; Humans; Internal Medicine; Iran; Iran - epidemiology; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Population; Population studies; Risk Factors; Sex differences; Sex Factors; Variance analysis; Women; Iran; ECG abnormalities; Arrhythmia; Iran; Sex distribution; Electrocardiography; Epidemiology; Age distribution
• ISSN: 1471-2261; 1471-2261
• DOI: 10.1186/s12872-023-03339-z

Background Although several studies are available regarding baseline Electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters and major and minor ECG abnormalities, there is considerable controversy regarding their age and gender differences in the literature. Methods Data from 7630 adults aged ≥ 35 from the Tehran Cohort Study registered between March 2016 and March 2019 were collected. Basic ECG parameters values and abnormalities related to arrhythmia, defined according to the American Heart Association definitions, were analyzed and compared between genders and four distinct age groups. The odds ratio of having any major ECG abnormality between men and women, stratified by age, was calculated. Results The average age was 53.6 (± 12.66), and women made up 54.2% ( n  = 4132) of subjects. The average heart rate (HR) was higher among women( p  < 0.0001), while the average values of QRS duration, P wave duration, and RR intervals were higher among men( p  < 0.0001). Major ECG abnormalities were observed in 2.9% of the study population (right bundle branch block, left bundle branch block, and Atrial Fibrillation were the most common) and were more prevalent among men compared to women but without statistical significance (3.1% vs. 2.7% p  = 0.188). Moreover, minor abnormalities were observed in 25.9% of the study population and again were more prevalent among men (36.4% vs. 17% p  < 0.001). The prevalence of major ECG abnormalities was significantly higher in participants older than 65. Conclusion Major and minor ECG abnormalities were roughly more prevalent in male subjects. In both genders, the odds of having major ECG abnormalities surge with an increase in age.