title: Electrocardiographic abnormalities associated with the metabolic syndrome and its components: the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The association between metabolic syndrome and electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities is not well established.
  
  
  METHODS
  ECG tracings of 6,765 men and women aged 45-84 years, free of clinical cardiovascular disease, from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis were obtained (2000-2002) and classified as normal or having major or minor abnormalities. We evaluated the associations of metabolic syndrome and its components with ECG abnormalities, adjusting for age, ethnicity, and gender and testing for effect modification by ethnicity and gender.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The associations of metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and high triglycerides with ECG abnormalities varied significantly by gender. In males, metabolic syndrome and hypertension were significantly associated with major ECG abnormality [1.69 (1.33-2.13), and 2.22 (1.72-2.86), respectively] after adjusting for ethnicity and gender. Hypertension was also associated significantly with minor ECG abnormality in males after adjusting for age and ethnicity. In females, metabolic syndrome and hypertension were significantly associated with major [1.84 (1.44-2.37), and 1.68 (1.27-2.22), respectively] and minor [1.38 (1.19-1.59), and 1.53 (1.32-1.79), respectively] ECG abnormalities after adjusting for age and ethnicity. High triglycerides were only significantly associated with major ECG abnormality in females after adjusting for age and ethnicity. After adjusting for age, ethnicity, and gender, central obesity and high fasting blood glucose were significantly associated with major and minor ECG abnormalities, whereas low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly associated with major ECG abnormality only.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Metabolic syndrome and its components are associated with major and/or minor ECG abnormalities. The relationship of metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and high triglycerides with ECG abnormalities varied according to gender.
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, North Carolina 27157, USA. iebong@wfubmc.edu
authors: Imo A
authors: IA
authors: Ebong
authors: Alain G
authors: AG
authors: Bertoni
authors: Elsayed Z
authors: EZ
authors: Soliman
authors: Mengye
authors: M
authors: Guo
authors: Christopher T
authors: CT
authors: Sibley
authors: Yii-Der I
authors: YD
authors: Chen
authors: Jerome I
authors: JI
authors: Rotter
authors: Yi-Chun
authors: YC
authors: Chen
authors: David C
authors: DC
authors: Goff
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology