Effects of age, sex and body build on ECG QRS voltages in Nigerians

The effects of age, sex and body build on ECG QRS voltages were studied in Nigerian Africans. Eighty-nine subjects consisted of 35 hypertensives, 20 patients with mitral incompetence and/or aortic incompetence and 34 healthy subjects. QRS voltage summations were made where necessary to reflect available ECG voltage criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy. Pearson's correlation coefficients were then determined between the ECG QRS voltage values and age, height, weight and body surface area in each group of subjects with the aid of an IBM 370/135 computer utilising SPSS programs. The study showed that ECG QRS voltages in our Nigerian African subjects significantly decreased with age and that men had higher voltages than women. Weight had variable effects on ECG QRS voltages. It is suggested that correction factors for age, sex and weight be determined by ECG laboratories for their population groups with the use of multiple regression analysis in order to improve on the widely used ECG QRS voltage criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy.