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Heart rate variability and plasma lipids in men with and without ischaemic heart disease
J H Christensen1, E Toft, M S Christensen
1Department of Nephrology, Aalborg Hospital, Denmark. jhc@dadlnet.dk
Insights
High cholesterol is linked to lower heart rate variability (HRV) in men, regardless of heart disease history. This finding suggests hypercholesterolemia may increase sudden cardiac death risk.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Clinical Research
- Biomarkers
Background:
- Decreased 24-hour heart rate variability (HRV) is a known risk factor for increased coronary mortality.
- Understanding the relationship between plasma lipids and HRV is crucial for cardiovascular risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between plasma lipid levels and 24-hour HRV.
- To examine this relationship in two distinct groups: men post-myocardial infarction (MI) with left ventricular dysfunction and healthy men.
Main Methods:
- A 24-hour Holter monitoring was conducted on all participants.
- Fasting blood samples were collected to measure plasma lipid profiles, including total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol.
- Statistical analyses, including stepwise multiple regression, were used to determine correlations.
Main Results:
- Plasma total-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol showed an inverse correlation with 24-hour HRV in both patient and healthy groups.
- This inverse correlation between plasma cholesterol and HRV remained significant in multivariate analysis.
- Men with plasma cholesterol levels above the study population's mean exhibited the lowest HRV values.
Conclusions:
- Hypercholesterolemia is associated with reduced 24-hour HRV in men, both with and without ischemic heart disease.
- This association suggests that high cholesterol may contribute to an elevated risk of sudden cardiac death.
- HRV may serve as a potential indicator of cardiovascular risk in the context of dyslipidemia.
Abstract:
Decreased 24-h heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with increased coronary mortality. The objective of this study was to examine the relation between plasma lipids and HRV (1) in men with a previous myocardial infarction (MI) and left ventricular dysfunction and (2) in healthy men. Forty seven men (mean age 63 years) with a previous MI and a left ventricular ejection fraction < or = 0.40 and 38 healthy men (mean age 37 years) were included. A 24-h Holter recording and fasting blood samples were performed in all the subjects. Plasma total-cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol were inversely correlated with 24-h HRV in both groups. Plasma cholesterol remained significantly inversely correlated to the 24-h HRV in a stepwise multiple regression analysis. The men were dichotomized according to the mean plasma cholesterol in the study population which was 6.2 mmol/l in patients with a previous M1, and 5.2 mmol/l in the group of healthy men. In both groups, men with plasma cholesterol levels above the mean had the lowest HRV. In conclusion, the data suggest, that hypercholesterolaemia is associated with a decreased 24-h HRV in men with and without ischaemic heart disease, suggesting an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.