Gender differences in prevalence and prognostic value of fragmented QRS complex.

BACKGROUND: Fragmented QRS (fQRS) on 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is associated with scarred myocardium and adverse outcome. However, the data on gender differences in terms of its prevalence and prognostic value is sparse. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether gender differences in fQRS exist among subjects drawn from populations with different risk profiles. METHODS: We analyzed fQRS from 12-lead ECG in 953 autopsy-confirmed victims of sudden cardiac death (SCD) (78% men; 67.0 ± 11.4 yrs), 1900 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with angiographically confirmed stenosis of ≥50% (70% men; 66.6 ± 9.0 yrs, 43% with previous myocardial infarction [MI]), and in 10,904 adults drawn from the Finnish adult general population (52% men; 44.0 ± 8.5 yrs). RESULTS: Prevalence of fQRS was associated with older age, male sex and the history and severity of prior cardiac disease of subjects. Among the general population fQRS was more commonly found among men in comparison to women (20.5% vs. 14.8%, p < 0.001). The prevalence of fQRS rose gradually along with the severity of prior cardiac disease in both genders, yet remained significantly higher in the male population: subjects with suspected or known cardiac disease (25.4% vs. 15.8% p < 0.001), CAD patients without prior MI (39.9% vs. 26.4%, p < 0.001), CAD patients with prior MI (42.9% vs. 31.2%, p < 0.001), and victims of SCD (56.4% vs. 44.4%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of QRS fragmentation varies in different populations. The fragmentation is clearly related to the underlying cardiac disease in both genders, however women seem to have significantly lower prevalence of fQRS in each patient population in comparison to men.

Fragmented QRS complex as a predictor of exercise-related sudden cardiac death.

INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the association between electrocardiographic abnormalities and exercise-related sudden cardiac death. Therefore, our aim was to identify possible electrocardiographic findings related to exercise-induced sudden cardiac death. METHODS AND RESULTS: The FinGesture study includes 3,989 consecutive sudden cardiac deaths in northern Finland between 1998 and 2012, out of whom a total of 647 subjects had a previously recorded electrocardiography acquired from the archives of Oulu University Hospital. In 276 of these cases the death was witnessed, and the activity at the time of death was either rest or physical exercise (PE); in 40 (14%) cases sudden cardiac death was exercise-related and in 236 (86%) cases death took place at rest. Fragmented QRS complex in at least two consecutive leads within anterior leads (V1-V3) was more common in the exercise-group compared to rest-group (17 of 40, 43% vs. 51 of 236, 22%, P  =  0.005). Pathologic Q wave in anterior leads was more common in the PE group (9 of 40, 23% vs. 26 of 236, 11%; P  =  0.044). Median QRS duration was prolonged in the exercise-group compared to the rest-group (100 milliseconds vs. 94 milliseconds, P = 0.047). QTc interval, the prevalence of inverted T-waves, or other electrocardiographic abnormalities did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: As a conclusion, fragmented QRS complex in the anterior leads is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death during PE.

Electrocardiogram as a predictor of sudden cardiac death in middle-aged subjects without a known cardiac disease.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal 12­lead electrocardiogram (ECG) findings and proposing its ability for enhanced risk prediction, majority of the studies have been carried out with elderly populations with prior cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to denote the association of sudden cardiac death (SCD) and various abnormal ECG morphologies using middle-aged population without a known cardiac disease. METHODS: In total, 9511 middle-aged subjects (mean age 42 ±â€¯8.2 years, 52% males) without a known cardiac disease were included in this study. Risk for SCD was assessed after 10 and 30-years of follow-up. RESULTS: Abnormal ECG was present in 16.3% (N = 1548) of subjects. The incidence of SCD was distinctly higher among those with any ECG abnormality in 10 and 30-year follow-ups (1.7/1000 years vs. 0.6/1000 years, P < 0.001; 3.4/1000 years vs. 1.9/1000 years, P < 0.001). At 10-year point, competing risk multivariate regression model showed HR of 1.62 (95% CI 1.0-2.6, P = 0.05) for SCD in subjects with abnormal ECG. QRS duration ≥ 110 ms, QRST-angle > 100°, left ventricular hypertrophy, and T-wave inversions were the most significant independent ECG risk markers for 10-year SCD prediction with up to 3-fold risk for SCD. Those with ECG abnormalities had a 1.3-fold risk (95% CI 1.07-1.57, P = 0.007) for SCD in 30-year follow-up, whereas QRST-angle > 100°, LVH, ER ≥ 0.1 mV and ≥0.2 mV were the strongest individual predictors. Subjects with multiple ECG abnormalities had up to 6.6-fold risk for SCD (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Several ECG abnormalities are associated with the occurrence of early and late SCD events in the middle-age subjects without known history of cardiac disease.

Translation and validation of the Finnish version of the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ).

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Low back pain (LBP) is a debilitating problem worldwide causing disability and reducing quality of life. The Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) was developed on the basis of the assumption that fear-avoidance beliefs play a major role in LBP-related disability. It comprises 16 items scored by the patient and includes sub-scores for fear-avoidance beliefs regarding work and physical activity. This study aimed to translate and validate the Finnish version of the FABQ and to measure its properties among Finnish patients with LBP. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A forward-backward translation procedure was used based on modified recommended guidelines. The FABQ was applied to 66 Finnish patients with LBP. Patients answered the FABQ at baseline and again approximately two weeks later. The test-re-test reliability between the baseline and follow-up FABQ was evaluated by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Internal consistency between the items within total and sub-scores was evaluated by calculating Cronbach's alpha. The items of the baseline FABQ were grouped using factor analysis and the correlations between the FABQ, pain intensity in visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were assessed using linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The Finnish version of the FABQ was successfully adapted. The mean age of patients was 46. Almost all patients (97%) reported LBP, most patients (76%) had chronic pain lasting more than 3 months and the mean intensity of LBP was 58mm on VAS. The follow-up time between the first and second questionnaire ranged from 2 days to 59 days with the median of 16 days. The ICC value for reliability between the baseline and follow-up questionnaires was excellent for the total score (0.91) and work sub-score (0.89), and good for the physical activity sub-score (0.73). The items regarding work showed high or excellent reliability throughout, with ICC values ranging from 0.63 to 0.89. The ICC values for the items related to physical activity ranged from 0.43 to 0.66, displaying moderate to good reliability. Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency was excellent for the total score (0.92) and work (0.89), and good for physical activity (0.71). The best factor analysis solution yielded three factors characterized by the fear that pain aggravates due to (1) work or (2) physical activity, and (3) fear-avoidance beliefs concerning work. Higher total FABQ score was associated significantly with higher VAS (p-value 0.021) and ODI (<0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The expert committee successfully created an applicable Finnish version of the FABQ. The Finnish FABQ is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing LBP patients' fear avoidance behaviour and has similar properties to those found in other validation studies of the FABQ. Thus it can be used for assessing the risk of disability due to fear avoidance behaviour in Finnish-speaking patients with LBP for both clinical and scientific purposes.

The ability of an electrocardiogram to predict fatal and non-fatal cardiac events in asymptomatic middle-aged subjects.

INTRODUCTION: The long-term prognostic value of a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) for predicting cardiac events in apparently healthy middle-aged subjects is not well defined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 9511 middle-aged subjects (mean age 43 ± 8.2 years, 52% males) without a known cardiac disease and with a follow-up 40 years were included in the study. Fatal and non-fatal cardiac events were collected from the national registries. The predictive value of ECG was separately analyzed for 10 and 30 years. Major ECG abnormalities were classified according to the Minnesota code. RESULTS: Subjects with major ECG abnormalities (N = 1131) had an increased risk of cardiac death after 10-years (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.7; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.1-2.5, p = 0.009) and 30-years of follow-up (HR 1.3, 95% CI, 1.1-1.5, p < 0.001). Model discrimination measured with the C-index showed only a minor improvement with the inclusion of ECG abnormalities: 0.851 versus 0.853 and 0.742 versus 0.743 for 10- and 30-year follow-up, respectively. ECG did not predict non-fatal cardiac events after 10-years or 30-years of follow-up. DISCUSSION: Major ECG abnormalities are associated with an increased risk of short and long-term cardiac mortality in middle-aged subjects. However, the improvement in discrimination between subjects with and without fatal cardiac events was marginal with abnormal ECG. KEY MESSAGES: Abnormalities observed on 12-lead electrocardiogram are shown to have prognostic significance for cardiac events in elderly subjects without known cardiac disease. Our results suggest that ECG abnormalities increase the risk of fatal cardiac events also in middle-aged healthy subjects.

Prevalence and prognostic significance of fragmented QRS complex in middle-aged subjects with and without clinical or electrocardiographic evidence of cardiac disease.

We wanted to evaluate the prevalence and prognostic value of the fragmented QRS (fQRS) complex, defined as changes in QRS morphology with various RSR'-patterns in 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) in a middle-aged general population. We evaluated the 12-lead ECGs of 10,904 Finnish middle-aged subjects (52% men, mean age 44 ± 8.5 years) with (n = 2,543) and without (n = 8,361) an evidence of cardiac disease drawn from general population and followed them for 30 ± 11 years. Fragmentation of the QRS complex was defined as various RSR'-patterns in at least 2 consecutive leads within the same territory (inferior II, III, aVF; lateral I, aVL, V4 to V6; anterior V1 to V3). Primary end points were death from any cause, cardiac, and arrhythmic deaths. In the total population, fQRS was present in 19.7% (n = 2,147) of subjects, including 15.7% (n = 1714) in inferior leads, 0.8% (n = 84) in lateral leads, and 2.9% (n = 314) in anterior leads. Fragmentation was not associated with increased mortality in subjects without a known cardiac disease. However, fQRS observed in lateral leads in subjects with an evidence of cardiac disease was associated with an increased risk of all-cause (p = 0.001), cardiac (p = 0.001), and arrhythmic (p = 0.004) mortalities. In conclusion, fQRS reflecting minor intraventricular conduction defect is a common finding, especially in the inferior leads, but it is not a sign of increased risk of mortality in subjects without a known cardiac disease. Lateral fQRS, which is less commonly observed in the ECG, is associated with a worse outcome in patients with a known cardiac disease.