Age related reference ranges of heart rate for Saudi children and adolescents

Objectives: To evaluate the resting heart rate to define reference values for healthy Saudi children and adolescents.Methods: To establish representative heart rate (HR) reference values for Saudi Arabian children and adolescents, a sample of children, and adolescents was selected by multi-stage probability sampling of the Saudi population from birth to 20 years of age. The selected sample represents Saudi children from the whole country. Data were collected by a house-to-house survey of all selected households in all the 13 regions in the country. A total of 10,458 Saudi children were included in the study. The HR was measured by oscillometric-automated devices. Upper and lower reference values of the HR in boys and girls were calculated as mean +/= 2 SD. The study is cross-sectional, community based, and conducted over 2 years (2004-2005). Data management and analysis were performed in the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Results: Determination of the HR values in a sample representing healthy Saudi children and adolescents from birth to 20 years of age.Conclusion: The present study provides age-specific reference values for heart rate (HR) of Saudi children and adolescents based on a large study sample. The use of these standards should aid the identification of children with abnormal HR