Efficacy of the electrocardiographic diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy on the basis of gender

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of electrocardiographic criteria of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (RVL greater than 11 mm, SVE3 + RVL greater than 20 mm in females and greater than 28 mm in males, SV1 + RV6 or SV2 + RV5) in hypertensive patients according to sex. DESIGN: Retrospective study. Gold standard M mode echocardiography. SETTING: Pulido Valente Hospital Department of Cardiology (Lisbon). PATIENTS: 56 hypertensive patients (age 55.1 s.d. 11.6), 27 females and 29 males, with LVH by echocardiographic Left Ventricular Mass Index (LVMI) greater than 110 g/m2 in woman and greater than 134 g/m2 in men, respectively 10 and 19 patients. The LVMI was calculated by the formula of the American Society of Echocardiography modified by Devereux. RESULTS: The LVMI was smaller in females than in males (P = 0.007). The Cornell Criteria had the greatest efficacy in woman and the Sokolow criteria satisfactory efficacy but in man. The electrocardiogram (1 of the 4 criteria positive) had low diagnostic efficacy in woman. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that echocardiogram is the best non-invasive diagnostic tool of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in hypertensive females and is necessary to adjust and choose the electrocardiographic Left Ventricular Hypertrophy criteria according to sex.