BACKGROUND: Centenarians have been proposed as a model of successful aging but recent studies suggest a high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. Some findings on their electrocardiograms (ECGs) are simply age-related and others mirror underlying diseases. We aimed to identify ECG features truly associated with extreme age. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 55 centenarians hospitalized between January 2000 and June 2010. Each centenarian was matched with three octogenarians according to gender, presence of hypertension, aortic stenosis, heart failure, and ischemic heart disease. RESULTS: A history of hypertension was present in 32 (58%) centenarians, aortic stenosis in 6 (11%), heart failure in 8 (15%), and ischemic heart disease in 6 (11%). Centenarians had a higher heart rate than octogenarians (81 ± 15 bpm vs. 72 ± 15 bpm, respectively, P < 0.001) but were less frequently on beta-blockers (7% vs. 36%, respectively, P < 0.001). Centenarians displayed more frequently atrial premature beats than octogenarians (18% vs. 3%, respectively, P < 0.001) but tended to have less atrial fibrillation (15% vs. 22% respectively, P = 0.21). Centenarians had more frequently left QRS axis deviation (48% vs. 28%, P = 0.009) and Q waves (14% vs. 1%, P = 0.02). QT interval was more prolonged in centenarians (446 ± 42 ms vs. 429 ± 39 ms, P = 0.008). Two centenarians (4%) and 24 (15%) octogenarians had a strictly normal ECG (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal ECG is a common finding in centenarians, with different characteristics than in younger elderly individuals. These differences are unrelated to the presence of cardiac diseases.
BACKGROUND: Centenarians have been proposed as a model of successful aging but recent studies suggest a high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. Some findings on their electrocardiograms (ECGs) are simply age-related and others mirror underlying diseases. We aimed to identify ECG features truly associated with extreme age. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 55 centenarians hospitalized between January 2000 and June 2010. Each centenarian was matched with three octogenarians according to gender, presence of hypertension, aortic stenosis, heart failure, and ischemic heart disease. RESULTS: A history of hypertension was present in 32 (58%) centenarians, aortic stenosis in 6 (11%), heart failure in 8 (15%), and ischemic heart disease in 6 (11%). Centenarians had a higher heart rate than octogenarians (81 ± 15 bpm vs. 72 ± 15 bpm, respectively, P < 0.001) but were less frequently on beta-blockers (7% vs. 36%, respectively, P < 0.001). Centenarians displayed more frequently atrial premature beats than octogenarians (18% vs. 3%, respectively, P < 0.001) but tended to have less atrial fibrillation (15% vs. 22% respectively, P = 0.21). Centenarians had more frequently left QRS axis deviation (48% vs. 28%, P = 0.009) and Q waves (14% vs. 1%, P = 0.02). QT interval was more prolonged in centenarians (446 ± 42 ms vs. 429 ± 39 ms, P = 0.008). Two centenarians (4%) and 24 (15%) octogenarians had a strictly normal ECG (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal ECG is a common finding in centenarians, with different characteristics than in younger elderly individuals. These differences are unrelated to the presence of cardiac diseases.
Authors: Kristian Thygesen; Joseph S Alpert; Harvey D White; Allan S Jaffe; Fred S Apple; Marcello Galvani; Hugo A Katus; L Kristin Newby; Jan Ravkilde; Bernard Chaitman; Peter M Clemmensen; Mikael Dellborg; Hanoch Hod; Pekka Porela; Richard Underwood; Jeroen J Bax; George A Beller; Robert Bonow; Ernst E Van der Wall; Jean-Pierre Bassand; William Wijns; T Bruce Ferguson; Philippe G Steg; Barry F Uretsky; David O Williams; Paul W Armstrong; Elliott M Antman; Keith A Fox; Christian W Hamm; E Magnus Ohman; Maarten L Simoons; Philip A Poole-Wilson; Enrique P Gurfinkel; José-Luis Lopez-Sendon; Prem Pais; Shanti Mendis; Jun-Ren Zhu; Lars C Wallentin; Francisco Fernández-Avilés; Kim M Fox; Alexander N Parkhomenko; Silvia G Priori; Michal Tendera; Liisa-Maria Voipio-Pulkki; Alec Vahanian; A John Camm; Raffaele De Caterina; Veronica Dean; Kenneth Dickstein; Gerasimos Filippatos; Christian Funck-Brentano; Irene Hellemans; Steen Dalby Kristensen; Keith McGregor; Udo Sechtem; Sigmund Silber; Michal Tendera; Petr Widimsky; José Luis Zamorano; Joao Morais; Sorin Brener; Robert Harrington; David Morrow; Michael Lim; Marco A Martinez-Rios; Steve Steinhubl; Glen N Levine; W Brian Gibler; David Goff; Marco Tubaro; Darek Dudek; Nawwar Al-Attar Journal: Circulation Date: 2007-10-19 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: Paolo Palatini; Lutgarde Thijs; Jan A Staessen; Robert H Fagard; Christopher J Bulpitt; Denis L Clement; Peter W de Leeuw; Matti Jaaskivi; Gastone Leonetti; Choudomir Nachev; Eoin T O'Brien; Gianfranco Parati; José L Rodicio; Elisabetta Roman; Cinzia Sarti; Jaakko Tuomilehto Journal: Arch Intern Med Date: 2002-11-11
Authors: Susan Cheng; Michelle J Keyes; Martin G Larson; Elizabeth L McCabe; Christopher Newton-Cheh; Daniel Levy; Emelia J Benjamin; Ramachandran S Vasan; Thomas J Wang Journal: JAMA Date: 2009-06-24 Impact factor: 56.272
Authors: Jan Szewieczek; Zbigniew Gąsior; Jan Duława; Tomasz Francuz; Katarzyna Legierska; Agnieszka Batko-Szwaczka; Beata Hornik; Magdalena Janusz-Jenczeń; Iwona Włodarczyk; Krzysztof Wilczyński Journal: Age (Dordr) Date: 2016-04-02