Electrocardiogram Patterns Prevalence in Early and Late Puberty in Male and Female Patients With Various Diseases Visiting the Electrocardiogram Unit of Federal Medical Center, Umuahia, Abia State

Abstract

Puberty comes with physiological changes, relating this changes to prevalence of electrocardiogram patterns will help in differentiating normal ECG wave form from pathological ECG wave form among puberter male and female within the age range of 11 to 40. The aim of this study is to examine the electrocardiography patterns prevalence in early and late puberty with various diseases visiting the electrocardiography unit of federal Medical center Umuahia, Abia state. 368 subjects were recruited for this study, The ECG of the subjects were recorded and all the information of the patient and clinical presentations noted. The 12-lead ECG of was analyzed by subjecting it to Minnesota coding: Coronary probable (certainly diagnostic of myocardial infarction/coronary artery disease) included all those coded 1.1 and 1.2 (large Q and QS waves) and 7.1 (complete LBBB). Coronary possible (likely, but not certainly myocardial infarction eg angina pectoris) included those coded 1-3 (small Q- waves), 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 (S-T segment abnormalities), and 5-1, 5-2, and 5-3 (T-wave abnormalities). All other codings are regarded as normal. Another form of classification of “Ischaemic ECG” was defined as pathological Q waves (any Code 1); S-T segment and / or T wave inversion of any degree (any Code 7.1.1). Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) were defined as a combination of high voltage and either S-T segment depression or T-wave inversion, again on the basis of appropriate Minnesota Codes, but the former was used in this study. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS statistical windows version 16.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). The statistical association between males and females were considered significant whenever the p value was less than 0.05. The incidental findings from the ECG of the apparently healthy individuals included: T abnormality 19%, Wolf-Parkinson-White pattern 9.5%, QRS (T) contour abnormality 9.5%, and type B intermediate axis 9.5%. Other abnormalities observed were ST abnormality 28.6%, left ventricular hypertrophy 4.8%, intraventricular block 9.5%, and leftward axis 9.5%. The females had more ECG abnormalities 57.1% than the males 42.9% (p ­= 0.5057). Among those with palpitation, the ECG abnormalities were two (2) (p ­= 1) with the males having QRS(T) abnormality and females having T abnormality. The result also showed that the females had more ECG abnormalities than the males of this age group.