ECG abnormalities predict cardiovascular disease in older women

doi:10.1136/bmj.334.7593.559-a

BMJ 2007;334:559 (17 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.334.7593.559-a

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ECG abnormalities predict cardiovascular disease in older women

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What can an electrocardiogram (ECG) tell you about the likelihoodof cardiovascular disease in apparently healthy postmenopausalwomen? A new study has found that women with even minor abnormalitieswere more likely than other women to have a heart attack, astroke, or to die from heart disease in the next five years.Minor abnormalities included first or second degree heart blockand frequent premature beats. Major abnormalities such as leftor right bundle branch block were also linked to an increasedrisk of cardiovascular disease or death (hazard ratio 2.34,95% CI 1.80 to 3.05)

In this cohort of more than 14 000 women, developing a new abnormalitywas also risky. Women who started the study with a normal ECGbut developed evidence of ischaemia, atrial fibrillation orflutter, ventricular hypertrophy, abnormal excitation, or repolarisationwere more than two and a half times more likely to develop clinical. . . [Full text of this article]

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