Determining Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Overweight-Obese Youth Using Electrocardiogram Criteria

Abstract

Background and Purpose: There is an escalating prevalence of obesity in youth that increases the risk for cardiovascular alterations such as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). The purpose of this study is to identify the most effective electrical voltage measurement for determining LVH in youth who are overweight and obese. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted to determine sensitivity, specificity, and the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve of 4 popular electrical voltage measures. Results: Our findings indicated the sensitivity and specificity for Cornell product (50.0%; 96.2%), Cornell voltage (52.9%; 98.0%), Romhilt Estes (50.0%; 100.0%), and Sokolow-Lyon index (60.0%; 86.4%) consecutively. Conclusion: The Romhilt-Estes and Cornell voltage measures displayed the highest specificity and could prove to be beneficial as a screening method to rule out LVH in overweight and obese youth.