Sex and Age Differences in Electrocardiographic Parameters Among Adults With Normal ECGs at a Single Diagnostic Centre in Owerri, Nigeria: A Retrospective Cross‐Sectional Study
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences Federal University of Technology Owerri Nigeria
- 2Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences University of Port Harcourt Choba Rivers State Nigeria
- 3College of Medicine, Imo State University Owerri Imo State Nigeria
- 4Department of Internal Medicine St. Mary's Hospital, Lacor Gulu Uganda
- 5Department of Internal Medicine Kabale University School of Medicine Kabale Uganda
- 6School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences Makerere University Kampala Uganda
- 7Faculty of Medicine Gulu University Gulu Uganda
Abstract
Background: Electrocardiographic (ECG) reference values used in Nigerian diagnostic centres are derived from European and North American cohorts, and age‐ and sex‐stratified Nigerian data are scarce.
Methods: In this retrospective cross‐sectional study, 313 12‐lead ECGs reported as normal by a cardiologist at a diagnostic centre in Owerri, Nigeria, were grouped by age (18–40 years, n = 164; ≥ 60 years, n = 149) and sex. Heart rate, P‐wave duration, PR interval, QRS duration and machine‐reported QTc were compared using t‐tests or Mann–Whitney U tests and two‐way ANOVA, with Bonferroni correction. Sensitivity analyses applied conventional limits uniformly.
Results: Heart rate, P‐wave duration, PR interval and QRS duration did not differ between age groups (all p > 0.09). QTc was longer in older adults (433.7 ± 17.4 vs. 427.4 ± 18.3 ms; p = 0.008), also after heart‐rate adjustment (8.3 ms; 95% CI 4.8 to 11.8). Females had longer QTc than males in both age groups (by 14.6 and 11.6 ms; both p < 0.001) in all analyses. Males had wider QRS than females only in younger adults (95.7 vs. 89.5 ms; p < 0.001), but this age‐by‐sex interaction (p = 0.007) was not significant when limits were applied uniformly (p = 0.076). PR stopped at 200 ms in both age groups, consistent with selection.
Conclusion: The female‐longer QTc was the most consistent finding, and older adults had modestly longer QTc. Age‐related conduction differences may have been masked by selection; unselected multicentre data are needed before reference intervals are adopted.
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BibTeX
@article{egharevba2026differences,
title = {{Sex and Age Differences in Electrocardiographic Parameters Among Adults With Normal ECGs at a Single Diagnostic Centre in Owerri, Nigeria: A Retrospective Cross‐Sectional Study}},
author = {Jovita Eghe Egharevba and Clinton Nwanaga Uche and Chosen Nwaeze Egwim and Acomo Grace and Gerald Olwit and Ivaan Pitua and James Nelson Okema},
journal = {Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1111/anec.70257},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/anec.70257},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sex and Age Differences in Electrocardiographic Parameters Among Adults With Normal ECGs at a Single Diagnostic Centre in Owerri, Nigeria: A Retrospective Cross‐Sectional Study
AU - Jovita Eghe Egharevba
AU - Clinton Nwanaga Uche
AU - Chosen Nwaeze Egwim
AU - Acomo Grace
AU - Gerald Olwit
AU - Ivaan Pitua
AU - James Nelson Okema
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Annals of Noninvasive Electrocardiology
DO - 10.1111/anec.70257
UR - https://doi.org/10.1111/anec.70257
AB - Background: Electrocardiographic (ECG) reference values used in Nigerian diagnostic centres are derived from European and North American cohorts, and age‐ and sex‐stratified Nigerian data are scarce. Methods: In this retrospective cross‐sectional study, 313 12‐lead ECGs reported as normal by a cardiologist at a diagnostic centre in Owerri, Nigeria, were grouped by age (18–40 years, n = 164; ≥ 60 years, n = 149) and sex. Heart rate, P‐wave duration, PR interval, QRS duration and machine‐reported QTc were compared using t‐tests or Mann–Whitney U tests and two‐way ANOVA, with Bonferroni correction. Sensitivity analyses applied conventional limits uniformly. Results: Heart rate, P‐wave duration, PR interval and QRS duration did not differ between age groups (all p > 0.09). QTc was longer in older adults (433.7 ± 17.4 vs. 427.4 ± 18.3 ms; p = 0.008), also after heart‐rate adjustment (8.3 ms; 95% CI 4.8 to 11.8). Females had longer QTc than males in both age groups (by 14.6 and 11.6 ms; both p < 0.001) in all analyses. Males had wider QRS than females only in younger adults (95.7 vs. 89.5 ms; p < 0.001), but this age‐by‐sex interaction (p = 0.007) was not significant when limits were applied uniformly (p = 0.076). PR stopped at 200 ms in both age groups, consistent with selection. Conclusion: The female‐longer QTc was the most consistent finding, and older adults had modestly longer QTc. Age‐related conduction differences may have been masked by selection; unselected multicentre data are needed before reference intervals are adopted.
SN - 1082-720X
SN - 1542-474X
ER -