title: Cardiac arrhythmias and atrioventricular block in a cohort of asymptomatic individuals without heart disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate cardiac arrhythmias and rhythm disturbances on 24 h ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring in a cohort of asymptomatic healthy individuals with normal clinical examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  625 asymptomatic healthy individuals, in the age range 15-83 (mean 42, SD 11.9) years; 276 (44.2%) men and 349 (55.8%) women were submitted to 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring. Statistical analysis was performed with likelihood ratio test and automatic backward logistic regression. The frequency of atrial arrhythmias (p < 0.0001; OR 1.059; 95% CI 1.050-1068) and of ventricular arrhythmias (p < 0.0001; OR 1.023; 95% CI 1.017-1.029) increased for each age increase of 1 year; neither atrial nor ventricular arrhythmias demonstrated a statistically significant difference relative to gender. Transient second-degree atrioventricular block (Mobitz I) was observed in 14 (2.2%) individuals and was more frequent in individuals with resting heart rate <60 bpm (p = 0.006; OR 6.7, 95% CI 1.7-25.5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The frequency of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias increased with age and did not demonstrate a significant difference relative to gender. Transient atrioventricular block was more frequent in individuals with lower resting heart rate.
authors.affiliation: Heart Institute (InCor), University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. casrspaula@incor.usp.br
authors.forename: Rogério Silva
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: DePaula
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Antelmi
authors.forename: Marcos Antonio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Vincenzi
authors.forename: Carmen D S
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: André
authors.forename: Rinaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Artes
authors.forename: César José
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Grupi
authors.forename: Alfredo José
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Mansur
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016275:Atrial Function / Q000502:physiology; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D006327:Heart Block / Q000453:epidemiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016276:Ventricular Function / Q000502:physiology