title: Cardiovascular and electrocardiographic changes in Nigerians with a normal pregnancy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pregnancy is associated with major haemodynamic and cardiac changes, which can mimic or precipitate cardiac diseases. There is a paucity of this kind of data among pregnant Nigerian women. This study was aimed at describing the cardiovascular and electrocardiographic changes found among healthy pregnant Nigerian women.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an age-matched control study of 69 consecutive normal pregnant and 70 healthy non-pregnant controls. The study protocol included history, physical examination and 12-lead electrocardiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Diastolic blood pressure < 60 mmHg was significantly commoner among pregnant subjects than controls (64.7 vs 24.3%, respectively, p < 0.005). Mean heart rate was higher among pregnant women (88.34 ± 11.46 bpm) than the controls (75.16 ± 12.22 bpm, p = 0.020). Pregnant subjects also had a higher proportion of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) (10.2 vs 0%, p < 0.05) than non-pregnant controls. Abnormal cardiac findings included a loud second heart sound (P(2)), missed beats and systolic murmurs (41.2% in pregnant subjects vs 12.9% in non-pregnant controls, p < 0.05). Negroid-pattern ST-segment elevation was commoner among controls (24.3%) than pregnant subjects (2.9%, p < 0.005). Arrhythmias were rare among the study participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant findings on examination were low diastolic blood pressure and a systolic ejection murmur. However, ECG changes showed a normal frontal-plane QRS axis, normal PR interval, significantly rare normal Negroidpattern ST elevation, significant LVH based on Araoye RI > 12 mm and a rarity of all forms of arrhythmias. These data may help resolve some cardiac diagnostic difficulties during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria. patakinwusi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: P O
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Akinwusi
authors.forename: V O
authors.initials: VO
authors.lastname: Oboro
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Adebayo
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Akintunde
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Adeniji
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Isawumi
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Balogun
authors.forename: T O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Ogungbamigbe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009549:Nigeria; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000502:physiology*; D011264:Pregnancy Trimesters / Q000502:physiology; D016276:Ventricular Function / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult