Gender differences in electrocardiographic findings in the elderly; A Nigerian aging and health study.

It is postulated that age-related physiologic changes in the elderly would affect the gender variation in electrocardiogram. This study was aimed at comparing electrocardiographic indices and findings in apparently healthy male and female elderly individuals. A total of 66 healthy elderly subjects were recruited for the study. These were drawn from the attendees to the quarterly medical lecture series of the Ebreime Foundation for the Elderly, a Non Governmental Organization. The study was conducted in the medical outpatient clinics of Federal Medical Center, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria. All subjects had resting 12-lead electrocardiography, background medical history assessment and clinical examination to evaluate their cardiovascular status at rest. The participants were composed of 46 males and 20 females with mean ages (standard deviation) of 69.82(8.1) and 66.05(6.83) respectively. The female participants had significantly higher body mass index and waist and hip circumferences.