Open AccessAge‐ and sex‐based reference ranges for non‐invasive ventricular repolarisation parameters
Author(s) -
Braschi Annabella,
Abrignani Maurizio G.,
Francavilla Vincenzo C.,
Abrignani Vincenzo,
Francavilla Giuseppe
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
international journal of clinical practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 98
eISSN - 1742-1241
pISSN - 1368-5031
DOI - 10.1111/ijcp.12949
Subject(s) - medicine , percentile , qt interval , cardiology , pathological , population , pediatrics , statistics , mathematics , environmental health
Summary Background Some electrocardiographic parameters are able to assess indirectly ventricular repolarisation homogeneity. It is consequently essential to discriminate between normal and abnormal values in clinical decision‐making. Considering there is still not a consensus about normal cut‐off values, the aim of this study was to document reference intervals in all age groups of a healthy population, providing for age‐ and sex‐percentile tables, which can be used easily and quickly in clinical practice. Methods We evaluated repolarisation markers in 606 sex‐matched participants aged 1 day–94 years. Each subject underwent a 12‐lead electrocardiogram at rest, and the following parameters were measured: QT , corrected QT , QT peak, Tpeak‐Tend, Tpeak‐Tend dispersion, Tpeak‐Tend/ QT and QT peak/ QT ratio. Results A relationship was demonstrated between age and QT peak, Tpeak‐Tend, QT and QT c. In children, QT peak, Tpeak‐Tend and QT intervals increased linearly with age. In adolescents, all the three parameters remained stable. In adults, QT peak and QT showed a further significant increase. On the contrary, Tpeak‐Tend interval was longer in adults aged between 20 and 64 years than in participants aged 65 years or over, but the difference was not statistically significant. Male vs female participants showed longer Tpeak‐Tend intervals; this sex difference was not statistically significant at birth and during childhood, whereas it was in adolescents and in adults. Conclusions Repolarisation parameters showed age‐ and sex‐based variations, which are important to know to differentiate normal from pathological values.