Association of Electrocardiogram Findings with Gender and Advancing Age among a Healthy Elderly Rural Population: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a cost-effective, non invasive screening tool widely used for detecting Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD). Despite its usefulness, there is limited research on ECG abnormalities in asymptomatic elderly rural populations, particularly concerning advancing age and gender. Aim: To study the ECG findings and their association with advancing age and gender among a healthy elderly rural population. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Belagavi district, Karnataka, India over a period of six months from May to November 2017, catering to a low socioeconomic rural population. A total of 200 elderly asymptomatic individuals aged 60 years and above were included after obtaining a brief medical history, performing a systemic examination, and conducting routine blood tests to rule out co-morbidities. A 12-lead ECG was recorded for the study participants. The ECG findings were then interpreted to assess the prevalence of ECG abnormalities and their association with age and gender. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-square test, with a p-value of <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The average age of the subjects was 66 years. Among the total participants, 74 (37%) were male and 126 (63%) were female. The largest proportion of participants was in the 60-64 years age group, whereas the ≥75 year category had the lowest representation. Out of the 200 elderly participants in this study, 78 (39%) showed atleast one abnormal finding on their 12-lead ECG. The most commonly detected issue was Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH). The data clearly showed that ECG abnormalities were more common as age increased. While a greater proportion of men (43.2%) had abnormal ECGs compared to women (36.5%), this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate a notable link between increasing age and the occurrence of ECG abnormalities in elderly subjects in rural areas who are otherwise healthy, emphasising age as an important contributor to underlying cardiac alterations.