Electrocardiogram Patterns Prevalence in Children with Various Diseases Visiting the Electrocardiogram Unit of Federal Medical Center, Umuahia, Abia State

Identify abnormalities associated with the heart among children it required a careful study of the Electrocardiograph. Electrocardiography is the graphical representation of the electrical activities of the heart from which inferences are made. The aim of this study is to examine the electrocardiography patterns prevalence in children with various diseases visiting the electrocardiography unit of federal medical center Umuahia, Abia state. 368 subjects were recruited for this study, The ECG of the subjects were recorded and all the information of the patient and clinical presentations. The 12-lead ECG of was analyzed by subjecting it to Minnesota coding: Coronary probable (certainly diagnostic of myocardial infarction/coronary artery disease) included all those coded 1.1 and 1.2 (large Q and QS waves) and 7.1 (complete LBBB). Coronary possible (likely, but not certainly myocardial infarction eg angina pectoris) included those coded 1-3 (small Q- waves), 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 (S-T segment abnormalities), and 5-1, 5-2, and 5-3 (T-wave abnormalities). All other codings are regarded as normal. Another form of classification of “Ischaemic ECG” was defined as pathological Q waves (any Code 1); S-T segment and / or T wave inversion of any degree (any Code 7.1.1). Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) were defined as a combination of high voltage and either S-T segment depression or T-wave inversion, again on the basis of appropriate Minnesota Codes, but the former was used in this study. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS statistical windows version 16.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). The statistical association between males and females were considered significant whenever the p value was less than 0.05. The results of this present study among children of age 1 to 10 years with 60% of the male subjects and 40% of females revealed that congenital diseases of the heart occurred more in males (66.6%) and females (33.3%) presented more, (60%), than the rest of the diseases observed (p ­= 0.6433). The ECG abnormalities in the children with congenital heart diseases (p ­=0.1099) were left axis deviation (30%) with males having 66.7% and females having 33.3%, right bundle branch block (30%) with males having 66.7% and females 33.3%, prolonged QT (10%) and was found in males alone. Left atrial abnormality and left anterior fascicular block occurred 10% each and found only in male and ventricular premature complexes (10%) occurred only in females.