Abstract 17075: Frequency and Predictors of Premature Ventricular Contractions in Young and Healthy Adults

Abstract

Background: Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are associated with a higher rate of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular complications in individuals with and without structural heart disease. However, little is known about frequency and predictors of PVCs in the general population. Methods: We assembled a population-based sample of individuals aged 25-41 years without prevalent cardiovascular disease. 24-hour electrocardiography (ECG) was performed with a validated device. Rigorous quality control was performed on all ECG studies by a trained physician, in order to adjust PVCs and to remove artefacts. We used multivariable negative binomial regression models to assess the relationship of PVC frequency with a large number of baseline characteristics, lifestyle factors and laboratory parameters. Results: Of the 2170 participants recruited for this study, 2065 participants (median age 37 years, 47% men, median BMI 24.1kg/m 2 ) qualified for this analysis. During 24 hours of ECG recording, 69% of participants had at least 1 PVC. The median number (interquartile range) of PVCs was 2 (0-5) among men and 2 (0-7) among women, p=0.23. The 95 th percentile of PVCs over 24 hours was 200 among men and 184 among women. In multivariable models, we found 9 significant predictors for PVC frequency, as displayed in the table. Conclusion: This is one of the first studies to systematically assess frequency and risk factors for PVC occurrence in the general population. Our results suggest that PVC occurrence is not uncommon even in healthy low-risk individuals, and that its frequency is determined by several covariates related to cardiovascular risk factors and cardiac structure and function.