A codable electrocardiogram was available for 98.2% of the SHEP randomized cohort of older Americans with isolated systolic hypertension at baseline.
RCT
This study describes the baseline electrocardiographic characteristics of older Americans with isolated systolic hypertension enrolled in the SHEP trial.
A lthough many invasive and noninvasive meth- ods for the study of the heart have been developed, electrocardiography remains the most frequently used diagnostic tool. The Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP) provides an opportunity to report on the electrocardiographic findings for a large number of older Americans with isolated systolic hypertension (ISH). Electrocardiographic abnormalities such as indexes of left ventricular hypertrophy, repolarization abnormalities, and arrhythmias have been associated with the risk of future morbid and mortal events. 1 -8 In addition, antihypertensive treatment may affect electrocardiographic findings. 9 " 11 Described are selected electrocardiographic characteristics, including arrhythmias detected on a 2-minute rhythm strip. Data given are for the SHEP randomized cohort at baseline, stratified by age, sex, race, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and status with regard to antihypertensive drug treatment at the time of initial screening. A codable electrocardiogram was available for 98.2% of SHEP randomized participants.
Kostis et al. (1991) conducted an RCT in Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH). A codable electrocardiogram was available for 98.2% of the SHEP randomized cohort of older Americans with isolated systolic hypertension at baseline.