Abstract
Arrhythmia may be caused by reduced pulmonary function, and pulse palpation is a useful screening method for the early detection of cardiac arrhythmia. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between reduced pulmonary function and abnormal findings on pulse palpation in 2347 subjects aged ≥65 years using data from a nationwide survey. Pulse palpation was initially performed for 15 s and, if felt to be abnormal, it was performed again for 60 s. The prevalence of irregular pulse (IP) determined by the 60-second palpation was 61 (2.6%). The mean age of subjects with an IP was 73.0 (95% CI 71.7–74.3) years, and 45.8% were male. After adjustment for covariates, forced vital capacity (FVC)/predicted FVC, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/predicted FEV1, and the lowest FEV1 remained significant risk factors for IP. A restrictive or obstructive spirometry pattern was also an independent risk factor for IP. In summary, an IP is more prevalent when pulmonary function is reduced in the elderly, in whom careful pulse palpation may be necessary for the early detection of arrhythmia.
Highlights
Some cardiac arrhythmias do not cause any symptoms and may first be discovered only incidentally during a routine examination
There was no significant difference in the degree of physical activity the are presented as the mean (95% confidence interval), and dichotomous variables are presented between as n
The present study showed that the lowest quartile of FEV1, forced vital capacity (FVC)/predicted FVC (pFVC) < 80%, and a restrictive or obstructive pattern based upon spirometry interpretation were significant risk factors of irregular pulse (IP)
Summary
Some cardiac arrhythmias do not cause any symptoms and may first be discovered only incidentally during a routine examination. Some patients are unaware of the presence of arrhythmia, even when it is chronic. Early detection and treatment of arrhythmias are critical for minimizing associated complications. One of the most common arrhythmias in the elderly is atrial fibrillation (AF). This condition increases the risk of stroke five-fold and the risk of cardiac failure three-fold, leading to an increase in the mortality rate [1,2,3]. An irregular pulse (IP) can be a sign of an arrhythmia [5]
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