SIGNAL-AVERAGED ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY IS ELDERLY SUBJECTS WITH AND WITHOUT HEART-DISEASE

Prevalence of abnormal signal-averaged electrocardiography in normal p opulations appears to be low, but has not been studied previously in a n asymptomatic elderly population. To study the prevalence of abnormal ventricular late potentials in an elderly population, a group of 51 s ubjects with no evidence of cardiac disease and ranging in age from 62 to 102 years underwent signal-averaged electrocardiography. Results w ere compared to a group of 179 patients similar in age but with comple x ventricular arrhythmias, and to a group of 25 asymptomatic volunteer s under the age of so. The prevalence of an abnormal signal-averaged E CG was 14% in the normal elderly subjects, and 31% in the patients (P = 0.01), and 4% in the young subjects (P = NS). We conclude that the p revalence of abnormal ventricular late potentials in elderly patients without heart disease is similar to levels reported in other populatio ns of normal controls, but elderly patients with cardiac disease have a significantly higher prevalence of abnormal signal-averaged ECG stud ies than the normals.