Prevalence of the Brugada-type ECG recorded from higher intercostal spaces in healthy Korean males.
BACKGROUND
Electrocardiograms (ECGs) recorded from the higher intercostal spaces (ICSs) are reported to be helpful for the diagnosis of Brugada syndrome (BS). However, the prevalence of Brugada-type ECG changes recorded from the higher ICSs is unknown in the healthy Korean population.


RESULTS
A total of 225 healthy Korean male subjects with a mean age of 44+/-13 (20-69) years with no syncope or family history of sudden death were enrolled in the present study. ECGs were taken from 4th, 3rd, and 2nd ICSs and examined for Brugada-type ECG changes. There were none on the routine 12-lead ECGs, but 3 (1.3%) of the 225 subjects had a Brugada-type ECG recorded from the higher ICSs and 1 of them had a Brugada-type ECG recorded at both the 2nd and 3rd ICSs. The prevalence of the Brugada-type ECG was 1.3% at the 3rd ICS, 0.4% at the 2nd ICS. All were type 2.


CONCLUSIONS
Some healthy Korean males with normal routine ECGs show Brugada-type 2 changes on ECGs recorded from higher ICSs.
Shin
Seung Chul
SC
Department of Internal Medicine, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Taegu, Korea.
Ryu
Hyeon Min
HM
Lee
Jang Hoon
JH
Chang
Byoung Jin
BJ
Shin
Jae Kook
JK
Kim
Hyung Seop
HS
Heo
Jung Ho
JH
Yang
Dong Heon
DH
Park
Hun Sik
HS
Cho
Yongkeun
Y
Chae
Shung Chull
SC
Jun
Jae Eun
JE
Park
Wee Hyun
WH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013577:Syndrome