MORTALITY IN RELATION TO MINNESOTA CODE ITEMS IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS - SEX-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN A CARDIOVASCULAR STUDY IN THE ELDERLY

The prognostic value of electrocardiographic abnormalities has not bee n widely studied in the elderly. We examined the Minnesota code ECG it ems in 2254 elderly subjects of the Cardiovascular Study in the Elderl y (CASTEL), performed on an Italian general population. In our experie nce, codes for ischaemia, 1st-degree atrio-ventricular block, bundle b ranch blocks, myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation or sinus tach ycardia were predictors of overall mortality in females, while only th e former three items were predictors in men. Although ischaemia, left bundle branch block and atrial fibrillation were predictors of cardiov ascular mortality in both sexes, right bundle branch block, supraventr icular arrhythmias and left ventricular hypertrophy were predictors on ly in men, and 1st-degree atrio-ventricular block were predictors only in women. Surprisingly, left anterior haemiblock and bifascicular blo cks were not predictive of mortality.