The Electrocardiogram in Population Studies

TLDR

Current data on coronary heart disease prevalence and incidence are limited by the absence of standardized, objective collection and reporting methods, and the electrocardiogram remains the primary diagnostic tool used in population studies. We present a tested electrocardiogram classification system for epidemiologic studies that incorporates widely used diagnostic and prognostic criteria, enables more valid cross‑population heart disease comparisons, and is compatible with modern data‑processing techniques.

Abstract

Information now available about the prevalence and incidence of coronary heart disease is seriously deficient because of the lack of standardized and objective methods of collection, tabulation, interpretation, and reporting of survey data. Chief reliance in the objective diagnosis of coronary heart disease rests on the electrocardiogram, a crucial tool in population studies. A classification system for the electrocardiogram in epidemiologic studies has been developed, tested, and herein presented. It is adapted to the usual clinical reading technics of the electrocardiographer. It embodies criteria widely employed and of diagnostic and prognostic import, but no stipulations about interpretation are made. The system permits more valid comparisons of data on heart disease between populations. It is susceptible to modern methods of data processing.