Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing ( IF 2 ) Pub Date : 2020-11-01 , DOI: 10.1097/jcn.0000000000000722 Sherri Shih-Fan Yeh , Ching-Yu Julius Chen , I-Chien Wu , Chih-Cheng Hsu , Tzu-Yu Chen , Wei-Ting Tseng , Feng-Cheng Tang , Chi-Chung Wang , Chung-Chou Juan , Hou-Chang Chiu , Huey-Ming Lo , Dun-Hui Yang , Jyh-Ming Jimmy Juang , Chao Agnes Hsiung
Background
Brugada syndrome is a disorder associated with sudden cardiac death and characterized by an abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG). Previous studies were predominantly conducted in men, and the data on long-term prognosis are limited. Information about women, especially elderly women, is lacking.
Objective
The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term prognosis of the Brugada ECG pattern in elderly women.
Method
We investigated the 10-year prognosis of the Brugada ECG pattern in elderly women in a nationwide community-based population in Taiwan. Community-dwelling women older than 55 years were prospectively recruited from December 2008 to March 2013 by a stratified random sampling method. All enrolled individuals were followed up annually until April 2019, and the cause of death was documented by citizen death records.
Results
Among 2597 women, 60 (2.31%) had a Brugada-type ECG, and this prevalence was higher than the mean global prevalence of 0.23%. One woman had a type 1 ECG (0.04%), whereas 15 (0.58%) and 44 (1.70%) women had type 2 and type 3 ECG patterns, respectively. Cox survival analysis revealed that all-cause mortality and cardiac mortality were similar in the individuals with and without a Brugada-type ECG during a mean follow-up of 96.1 ± 20.5 months.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that Brugada ECG patterns are not infrequent in elderly women but are not associated with increased risk of mortality in long-term follow-up; these findings may help reduce unnecessary anxiety for physicians, nurses, allied health caregivers, and patients.