[ECG abnormalities in the MONICA Gent-Charleroi study population].

In a survey of a random sample of the adult population (aged 25-64 yr) from Ghent and Charleroi (n = 1693), 103 (6.1%) showed ECG-abnormalities suggestive of coronary heart disease (Minnesota code I, IV, or V); prevalence was equal in men (6.2%) as in women (6.0%). In men, 30% of ECG-abnormalities suggested an old myocardial infarction as compared to 23.4% in women. Men with abnormal ECG had a positive history of acute myocardial infarction in 23%, as compared to 23.4% in women. Multivariate discriminant function analysis shows that men with abnormal ECG are older, have a higher systolic blood pressure and were more often married. Women with ECG abnormalities were significantly older, had a lower HDL-level and were less educated. So, although the prevalence of ECG abnormalities is almost similar between sexes, they correlate differently with antecedents of infarction and are poorly related to different sets of risk factors in men as compared to women.