Abstract
Objectives: To determine the predictive value of the ECG for sudden death in the general population. Design: In the Copenhagen City Heart Study, a randomly selected population sample in Copenhagen, Denmarkhas been followed prospectively since 1976. From this population sample, we analyzed ECGs of individuals who had suffered sudden cardiac death (SCD) before the age of 50 years and compared them with ECGs of a randomly selected control individuals from the same population sample. Specific ECG signs that could point toward a condition associated with a risk of SCD were noted. Results: From a total of 18,974 individuals in the cohort, 207 had died at an age younger than 50 years. Among these, 24 persons with SCD were identified. The most prevalent ECG abnormality was QRS fragmentation. We found no ECGs with long or short QTc, Brugada sign or WPW. The prevalence of signs of left ventricular hyper-trophy, early repolarization, or fragmentation was not different from the prevalence of these signs in the control group. Conclusion: In the Copenhagen City Heart Study, the ECG failed to predict SCD in persons who died before the age of 50 years.
Highlights
Coronary heart disease is by far the leading cause of the sudden cardiac death (SCD) and becomes more common as age advances [1]
We analyzed ECGs of individuals from the general population who had died at a young age, with particular emphasis on specific ECG changes that can point toward a disease associated with a risk of SCD
We looked for specific ECG signs that could indicate increased risk for life threatening arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death
Summary
Coronary heart disease is by far the leading cause of the sudden cardiac death (SCD) and becomes more common as age advances [1]. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), genetic arrhythmias and, to a lesser extent, Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW), constitute a considerable proportion of the SCD causes [2,3,4,5,6]. Individuals with these diseases can be asymptomatic for a long time and SCD can be their first presentation of disease. We analyzed ECGs of individuals from the general population who had died at a young age, with particular emphasis on specific ECG changes that can point toward a disease associated with a risk of SCD
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