Prevalence of electrocardiographic findings suggestive of sudden cardiac death risk in 10,867 apparently healthy young Korean men
Authors
JAE-SUN UHM ; IL-UNG HWANG ; YONG-SEOG OH ; MIN-SEOK CHOI ; SUNG-WON JANG ; WOO-SEUNG SHIN ; JI-HOON KIM ; MAN-YOUNG LEE ; TAI-HO RHO ; YOU-HO KIM ; JUNG-HOON SUNG ; YOUNG-SOO LEE ; JEONG-GWAN CHO ; DONG-JIN OH ; DAE-KYEONG KIM ; JUNE NAMGUNG ; KYOUNG-MIN PARK ; YONG-HOON KIM ; YOON-NYUN KIM ; HONG-EUY LIM ; TAE-JOON CHA ; YOUNG-KEUN ON ; DONG-GU SHIN ; HUI-NAM PAK ; NAM-HO KIM
Citation
PACE-PACING AND CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Vol.34(6) : 717-723, 2011
BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of electrocardiographic (ECG) findings suggestive of sudden cardiac death risk in apparently healthy young Korean men.
METHODS: We administered questionnaires that elicited personal and family histories and performed ECGs on 10,867 male subjects (mean age, 20.9 years). The subjects with abnormal ECG findings underwent echocardiography, a treadmill test, Holter monitoring, a flecainide provocation test, or an electrophysiologic study (EPS) according to the ECG findings and histories.
RESULTS: Of the subjects, 5.95% had left ventricular hypertrophy on ECG, but no subjects had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by echocardiography. The percentage of subjects with a Brugada ECG pattern was 0.90%. We identified one subject with a positive result on the flecainide provocation test. The percentage of subjects with a preexcitation ECG was 0.17%. In two of the subjects, supraventricular tachycardia was induced in the EPS. Of the subjects, 0.05% had epsilon waves, but there were no subjects with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy by echocardiography. The percentage of subjects with long QT intervals was 0.02%, but there were no arrhythmias on the treadmill test or Holter monitoring.
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of a Brugada ECG pattern in apparently healthy young men is higher in Korea than other countries