2012 Volume 26 Issue 6 Pages 945-950
Background Though the usefulness of exercise-induced QRS axis shifts (ΔQRS) for detecting coronary artery stenosis has been reported, the relationships between ΔQRS and risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) remain unclear.
Methods Consecutive asymptomatic subjects (n=496), who had undergone a double Master's 2-step electrocardiographic test to screen for heart diseases in a health check-up, were enrolled in this cross-sectional observational study. We divided them into a positive ΔQRS group (>10°) and a negative ΔQRS group (≤10°) and analyzed data with reference to risk factors for CHD in the 2 groups.
Results Significant differences were found between the magnitude of ΔQRS and the following multiple risk factors for CHD: age, systolic BP, diastolic BP, pulse pressure, TG, HDL cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, BMI, waist circumference, metabolic syndrome, and Framingham risk score.
Conclusion The magnitude of ΔQRS may be useful in a noninvasive assessment of the extent of coronary atherosclerosis in asymptomatic individuals.
