Assessment of resting electrocardiogram, P wave dispersion and duration in different genders applying for registration to the School of Physical Education and Sports - results of a single centre Turkish Trial with 2093 healthy subjects.

BACKGROUND: The 12-lead electrocardiogram shows a broad range of abnormal patterns in trained athletes. The primary end point of this study was to investigate P wave dispersion, and P wave durations and related factors in different genders applying for registration to the School of Physical Education and Sports. METHODS AND RESULTS: From 2006 to 2009, a total of 2093 students - 1674 boys with a mean age of 19.8 plus or minus 1.9 years and 419 girls with a mean age of 19.1 plus or minus 1.8 years - were included in the study. All 12 leads of the resting electrocardiogram were evaluated for P wave dispersion and electrocardiogram abnormalities. Baseline parameters such as age, body weight, body height, and body mass index, as well as electrocardiogram findings such as P wave maximal duration and P wave dispersion, were significantly higher in boys than in girls. Of all the parameters tested with correlation analysis, only gender (p = 0.03) (r = 0.04), body weight (p < 0.001) (r = 0.07), body height (p = 0.004) (r = 0.06), and body mass index (p = 0.01) (p = 0.05) were correlated with P wave dispersion. CONCLUSION: The frequencies of all electrocardiogram abnormalities, P wave dispersion, and P wave maximal duration were higher in boys as compared with girls in an unselected student population applying for registration to the School of Physical Education and Sports; in addition, P wave dispersion was correlated with gender, body weight, body height, and body mass index.

Assessment of P-wave dispersion on 12-lead electrocardiography in students who exercise regularly.

BACKGROUND: P-wave dispersion, an electrocardiographic marker, is an independent predictor of atrial fibrillation. P-wave dispersion is associated with inhomogeneous and discontinuous propagation of sinus impulses. The aim of this study was to investigate P-wave dispersion in students who apply for registration to School of Physical Education and Sports. METHODS: Totally 984 students (810 boys [mean age: 19.8 +/- 2.0 years] and 174 girls [mean age: 19.0 +/- 1.8 years]) who applied for registration to School of Physical Education and Sports with a training history of some years were included in the study. P-wave duration was calculated in all 12 leads of the surface electrocardiography, which were simultaneously recorded. The difference between P maximum and P minimum durations was defined as P-wave dispersion. RESULTS: Age, body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, P-wave maximal duration, and P-wave dispersion were increased in boys as compared with girls. Of age (P = 0.53), systolic blood pressure (P = 0.42), diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.50), pulse pressure (P = 0.73), gender, heart rate, and BMI tested with univariate linear regression analysis in all subjects; only gender (P < 0.001), BMI (P = 0.01), and heart rate (P = 0.02) were associated with P-wave dispersion (F = 5.16, P < 0.001, R(2)= 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: P-wave dispersion was increased in boys as compared with girls who exercise regularly. P-wave dispersion is affected by gender, BMI, and heart rate in healthy students.