Variation in the heart rate and P wave of healthy individuals in different age groups

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Many studies have been conducted to describe the normal electrocardiogram and to delineate the range of variation of its several component parts 10, 19, 22 . Though, there is much variation among various individuals with diverse background, the problem of what may be expected as normal variation and what must be viewed with suspicion however is far from settled. Therefore the present study has been undertaken to find out the degree of normal variations in healthy individuals in different age groups. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted after the institutional ethical clearance and informed written consent from all the subjects belongs to age group of 18 to 40 years of either sex. All the ECG was taken in resting and supine position using BPL CARDIART 308 machine. The anthropometric measurements like age, body weight, height, heart rate, chest circumference 'P' wave duration, 'P' wave axis, 'P' wave of voltage, 'PR’ interval were measured and calculated. The values are expressed as mean and the percentile was calculated in each parameters. Results : The mean age of the subjects in the present study was 23.87±54.07 years, weight is 6.37±6.53kgs, heart rate is 81.97± 14.30 beats per minutes, height is 159.63 ± 8.34 cms, chest circumference is 81.366± 4.06 cms, 'P' wave duration is 0.055± 0.02 seconds, 'P' wave axis is 53.23± 18.92 degrees, 'P' wave of voltage 0.083± 0.06 milli volts and 'P-R’ interval is 0.1348± 0.12 seconds. Conclusion : The study provides the statistical data related to various components of ECG which are commonly assessed during investigations of healthy young individuals. Having knowledge of these normal variants will be helpful in arriving at correct diagnosis.