Electrocardiogram of the Healthy Adult Negro

Abstract

The T waves of the precordial electrocardiograms are upright in healthy adult white subjects. On the other hand, several reports have drawn attention to T-wave inversion "juvenile pattern" in adult Negroes free of organic heart disease. This study demonstrated no increased incidence of the "juvenile pattern" in healthy adult Negroes. The standards for normality are identical for both white and Negro. When abnormalities of the T wave are found in Negroes, an explanation other than that of race should be sought.