title: Electrocardiographic abnormalities in centenarians and octogenarians: a case-matched study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Centenarians have been proposed as a model of successful aging but recent studies suggest a high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. Some findings on their electrocardiograms (ECGs) are simply age-related and others mirror underlying diseases. We aimed to identify ECG features truly associated with extreme age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of 55 centenarians hospitalized between January 2000 and June 2010. Each centenarian was matched with three octogenarians according to gender, presence of hypertension, aortic stenosis, heart failure, and ischemic heart disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A history of hypertension was present in 32 (58%) centenarians, aortic stenosis in 6 (11%), heart failure in 8 (15%), and ischemic heart disease in 6 (11%). Centenarians had a higher heart rate than octogenarians (81 ± 15 bpm vs. 72 ± 15 bpm, respectively, P  <  0.001) but were less frequently on beta-blockers (7% vs. 36%, respectively, P < 0.001). Centenarians displayed more frequently atrial premature beats than octogenarians (18% vs. 3%, respectively, P < 0.001) but tended to have less atrial fibrillation (15% vs. 22% respectively, P = 0.21). Centenarians had more frequently left QRS axis deviation (48% vs. 28%, P = 0.009) and Q waves (14% vs. 1%, P = 0.02). QT interval was more prolonged in centenarians (446 ± 42 ms vs. 429 ± 39 ms, P = 0.008). Two centenarians (4%) and 24 (15%) octogenarians had a strictly normal ECG (P = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abnormal ECG is a common finding in centenarians, with different characteristics than in younger elderly individuals. These differences are unrelated to the presence of cardiac diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Pacing and Electrophysiology, Hospital Paris Saint-Joseph, Paris, France. ghassan.moubarak@gmail.com
authors.forename: Ghassan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moubarak
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Algalarrondo
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Badenco
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guiot
authors.forename: Pierre-Jean
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Guillausseau
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Bergmann
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bardin
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leenhardt
authors.forename: Alain Cohen
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Solal
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D010297:Paris / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies