PREVALENCE OF VENTRICULAR PREMATURE COMPLEXES IN HEALTHY AND UNTREATED HYPERTENSIVE ELDERLY PEOPLE

Twenty-four-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic examination was perfo rmed in 130 elderly patients (49 healthy, active subjects; 40 hyperten sive without left ventricular hypertrophy; and 41 hypertensive with le ft ventricular hypertrophy). In the study group, mean age was 72.4+/-7 .1 (sixty-five to eighty-eight) years. A significantly high prevalence of ventricular ectopic complexes was found both in hypertensive and i n normotensive groups. According to the Lown grades, in grade 1, VPCs had very high prevalence in healthy subjects, in grade 2, VPCs had a h igh prevalence in hypertensives with left ventricular hypertrophy (73. 5% and 48.8%, respectively). The results of this study demonstrate tha t ventricular premature complexes were common in hypertensive patients and healthy elderly but did not cause high complexity in either group . Ventricular premature complexes detected by ambulatory ECG monitorin g in healthy, active subjects and in untreated hypertensive patients a re not an independent risk factor in elderly patients.