Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Background: Racial and ethnic disparities have been reported in catheter ablation in adults. There are limited data on the impact of race/ethnicity on the diagnosis and management of children with Wolff-Parkinson-White pattern (WPW).
Hypothesis: Diagnosis of WPW by electrocardiogram (ECG) and risk stratification by exercise stress test (EST) and electrophysiology study (EPS) will differ by race/ethnicity in children.
Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients 0-21 years old, excluding those with congenital heart disease, at a children’s hospital from 1991-2021. The primary exposure was race/ethnicity. Outcomes were 1) diagnosis of WPW on ECG, 2) undergoing EST, and 3) undergoing EPS. Likelihood and time to outcome were assessed with multivariable logistic regression adjusted for birth year and Cox regression, respectively.
Results: The cohort consisted of 1,638,746 patients (White 53.0%, Black 21.0%, Hispanic 6.8%, Asian 4.2%, Multi-racial 2.0%, Other 11.0%, and Missing 1.7%). WPW was diagnosed in 898 patients (0.05%). After adjusting for birth year, Asian, Black, and Other race were associated with lower odds of WPW diagnosis compared to White patients (OR 0.57, 0.66, 0.70; p≤0.01). There was no association between race and age at first diagnosis (p=0.2). A total of 616 WPW patients (69%) underwent EST. Compared with White patients, Asian, Hispanic, and Other race were less likely to undergo EST (OR 0.39, 0.59, 0.62; p≤0.04), and those who did had their EST at later ages (HR 0.59, 0.65, 0.46; p≤0.04). A total of 739 WPW patients (82%) underwent EPS. Compared with White patients, Black, Hispanic, and Other race were less likely to undergo EPS (OR 0.44, 0.53, 0.59; p≤0.02), and those who did had their EPS at later ages (HR 0.60, 0.63, 0.66; p≤0.004).
Conclusion: This analysis found that non-White racial and ethnic groups are less likely to be diagnosed with WPW. This may reflect differences in WPW prevalence by race/ethnicity, but differential access to ECG cannot be ruled out. Among WPW patients, however, Asian and Hispanic patients are approximately half as likely to undergo EST, while Black and Hispanic patients are approximately half as likely to undergo EPS, compared to White patients.