Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research

Aims: This study aimed to determine the pattern and distribution of Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) pattern or syndrome among young adults.

Study Design: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Physiological Sciences and ECG Unit, Health Centre, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, between March 2014 and December 2016.

Methodology: Young adult population in the University Community was screened with ECG as part of medical screening procedure. Screening lasted over a period of 3 years.

The participants had their resting standard 12-lead ECG recorded according to internationally approved protocol. The ECG strips were screened for WPW pattern or syndrome.

Results: Nine thousand eight hundred and twenty six (9826) young adults (48% males, 52% females) within the age range of 15 - 40 years were screened. Eleven (11) cases (7 males and 4 females) of WPW pattern were diagnosed. No case of WPW syndrome was detected. The prevalence of WPW pattern in the study population was 0.11%. Out of the 11 cases, 7 (6 males and 1 female) had stable WPW pattern while 4 (1 male and 3 females) had intermittent WPW pattern. More than half (57.14%) of the cases with stable WPW pattern presented with sinus bradycardia while others present with normal heart rate. Intermittent WPW pattern mimicked premature ventricular ectopic beats. The dominant type of WPW pattern in the study was type B.

Conclusion: This study concluded that the prevalence of WPW pattern was 0.11% and that the pre-excited ECG was more frequent in males. The dominant form of WPW pattern is type B which asymptomatically presented with bradyarrhythmia.