Ethnic differences in electrocardiographic criteria for left ventricular hypertrophy: the LIFE study

Abstract

When standard, non-ethnicity-specific thresholds for the identification of LVH are used, Sokolow-Lyon and 12-lead voltage overestimate and Cornell voltage underestimates the presence and severity of LVH in African American relative to white individuals. However, these apparent ethnic differences in test performance disappear when ethnic differences in the distribution of ECG LVH criteria are taken into account. These findings demonstrate that ethnicity-specific ECG criteria can equalize detection of anatomic LVH in African American and white patients.