Prevalence of Early Repolarization Patterns in Adults

Background The finding of persistent Junction point elevation of 1 mm or more in adjacent leads in electrocardiogram is considered to be due to early repolarization. This condition was considered benign in the past but presently it is believed to be the rare cause of idiopathic ventricular fibrillation and sudden death. Objective The main objective of the study is to find out the prevalence of early repolarization pattern in subjects having electrocardiogram at Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital. Method Twelve lead electrocardiograms of patients attending Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital were studied. Data was collected for patient particulars. Electrocardiograms were analyzed for the type of early repolarization. Result The overall prevalence of early repolarization pattern of electrocardiogram was 2.82 %. It's prevalence in male and female was 4.95 % and 0.77 % respectively. The prevalence of different types of early repolarization electrocardiography pattern was 0.70 %, 1.25% and 0.63% of the population studied for type I, II, and III early repolarization patterns. Type IV or Brugada pattern was not detected in our study. Conclusion The commonest pattern observed was type II that is early repolarization pattern in inferior or inferolateral leads. Having knowledge of early repolarization and its type helps to counsel the physicians about the risk of arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death.