Comparison of the prevalence of ventricular and supraventricular premature beats with 24-hour Holter electrocardiography between hypertensive and normotensive shift workers in a manufacturing company.

We conducted 24-hour Holter electrocardiography (ECG) among shift workers to assess whether there were differences in the prevalence of ventricular apd supraventricular premature beats between hypertensive (HT) and normotensive (NT) workers. Among the selected 24 male shift workers, 20 were fitted with 24-hour Holter ECG monitors. Nine workers were in the HT group and 11 the NT group. The prevalence of isolated supraventricular premature beats (SVPBs) and SVPB runs were higher in the HT group than in the NT group, but without statistical significance. The prevalence of ventricular premature beats (VPBs) was similar between groups. One worker in each group experienced > or = 720 VPBs per 24 hours, while the worker in the HT group was detected as having a short run of VPBs. The results suggested the necessity of a larger scale study to clarify an association between hypertension and arrhythmias using 24-hour Holter electrocardiography.