Gender differences in prevalence and prognostic value of fragmented QRS complex

Abstract Background Fragmented QRS (fQRS) on 12‑lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is associated with scarred myocardium and adverse outcome. However, the data on gender differences in terms of its prevalence and prognostic value is sparse. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether gender differences in fQRS exist among subjects drawn from populations with different risk profiles. Methods We analyzed fQRS from 12‑lead ECG in 953 autopsy-confirmed victims of sudden cardiac death (SCD) (78% men; 67.0 ± 11.4 yrs.), 1900 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with angiographically confirmed stenosis of ≥50% (70% men; 66.6 ± 9.0 yrs., 43% with previous myocardial infarction [MI]), and in 10,904 adults drawn from the Finnish adult general population (52% men; 44.0 ± 8.5 yrs.). Results Prevalence of fQRS was associated with older age, male sex and the history and severity of prior cardiac disease of subjects. Among the general population fQRS was more commonly found among men in comparison to women (20.5% vs. 14.8%, p  Conclusions The prevalence of QRS fragmentation varies in different populations. The fragmentation is clearly related to the underlying cardiac disease in both genders, however women seem to have significantly lower prevalence of fQRS in each patient population in comparison to men.