EFFECT OF AGING ON MYOCARDIAL REPOLARIZATION

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The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of aging on the QT interval and QT dispersion in both genders before and after autonomic blockade. Gender differences in the raw AT inverval with aging have been described but the interaction of gender and aging on QT dispersion are unkown. Forty young and 40 elderly subjects without evidence of structural heart disease will be evaluated in the General Clinical Research Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Subjects will undergo a screening visit to ensure the absence of structural heart disease or systemic diseases which would contraindicate autonomic blockade. On a subsequent visit, subjects will undergo routine 12 lead ECG and body surface maps at several stages: (1) At rest; (2) During staged bicycle exercise testing; (3) After the first drug of a double autonomic blockade protocol (atropine or propranolol); (4) After the second drug (propranolol or atropine); (5) During exercise testing after the administration of double autonomic blockade. The QT interval will be measured in the standard fashion. QT dispersion on the 12 lead EKG will be determined by both manual and computerized methods using algorithms that have been previously developed. QT dispersion on body surface maps will be analyzed using custom designed algorithms which will be developed as part of the study. Repeated measures of analysis of variance will be used to examine differences in the absolute QT interval and in QT dispersion between the young and elderly before and after autonomic blockade. In addition, gender effects will also be examined.