1973 Volume 10 Issue 3 Pages 191-201
Although there have been a number of reports on the incidence of extrasystoles in various diseases or on its relation to aging, few of them are concerned with the occurrence of extrasystoles in a large number of patients with different ages and diseases. In this report, observations are made on the relationship between ventricular or supraventricular extrasystoles and age, sex and various conditions of consecutive and well documented 8000 cases hospitalized to the 2nd Department of Internal medicine, University of Tokyo.
Extrasystoles were found in routine ECG in 553 cases (6.9%); ventricular in 343, atrial in 137, A-V nodal in 45 and undetermined supraventricular (either atrial or nodal) in 28. The incidence of extrasystoles was found to be increased with age, especially in higher age groups. This tendency was most marked in ventricular extrasystoles. The incidence was generally higher in male patients than in females. The incidence of ventricular extrasystoles in various conditions was as follows: 15.1% in coronary heart disease, 13.4% in valvular and congenital heart diseases, 2.0% in hypertension and 2.6% in other conditions, whereas that of atrial extrasystoles was 5.3% in coronary heart disease, 2.0% in valvular and congenital heart diseases, 1.7% in hypertension, and 1.4% in other conditions.
The influence of aging on the percentage of patients with extrasystoles was examined in coronary and valvular heart diseases compared with non-cardiac diseases as a control. In valvular heart disease the difference between different age groups was not significant. The percentage of patients with extrasystoles was markedly increased with age in coronary heart disease and was slowly increased in non-cardiac diseases. The coupling interval of extrasystoles was, on the average, showed no significant relation to aging. In non-cardiac diseases, the direction of ventricular extrasystoles was leftwards more frequently than rightwards. The relative frequency of rightward directed extrasystoles was increased in ischemic heart disease. No definite relation existed between the direction of extrasystoles and age.
