Prevalence, clinical profile, cause of hospitalization and outcomes in patients with left bundle branch block in the state of Qatar

Objectives We studied the prevalence, clinical characteristics, management and outcome among patients with LBBB hospitalized in the cardiology department. Methods Retrospective analysis of the 22-year registry data (Jan 1991 to Jun 2012) of cardiac patients hospitalized at Hamad General Hospital and Qatar Heart Hospital, Doha, Qatar. Results Of the 41438 patients admitted under cardiology department, 582 patients had LBBB (1.4%). Compared to patients without LBBB, LBBB patients were older (63 ± 12 vs. 54 ± 12 ears, P  = 0.001), more likely to be female (33 vs.23%, P  = 0.001) and to be middle eastern(76.5 vs. 54%). LBBB patients have more hypertension (56 vs. 40%, P  = 0.001), Diabetes (52% vs. 39%, P  = 0.004) and chronic renal failure (11% vs.4%, P  = 0.001),but less likely to be current smoker (16% vs. 23%, P  = 0.001). CHF was the most common cause of admission in LBBB (40% vs. 17% in no LBBB patients, P  = 0.001), followed by unstable angina (35 vs. 40%, P  = 0.03) and myocardial infarction (9.3 vs. 23%). In hospital mortality was significantly higher in LBBB patients (8% vs. 4.7%, P  = 0.001). Conclusion Patients with LBBB are more likely to admitted with CHF, and less likely to be admitted with acute coronary syndrome as compared to patients without LBBB. Moreover LBBB is associated with a 2-folds increase in mortality as compared to those without LBBB.