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High-frequency modulation of heart rate variability during exercise in patients with COPD
Matthew N Bartels1, Sanja Jelic, Pakkay Ngai
1Human Performance Laboratory, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Chest
|September 13, 2003
Summary
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience a shift in cardiac autonomic modulation during peak exercise, with a decreased sympathetic to parasympathetic balance. This contrasts with healthy individuals, indicating altered autonomic responses in COPD during exertion.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Autonomic Nervous System
Background:
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
- Autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a crucial role in regulating cardiac function during exercise.
- Understanding cardiac autonomic modulation in COPD patients during exertion is vital for clinical management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cardiac autonomic modulation in patients with COPD during maximal volitional exercise.
- To compare autonomic responses during peak exercise between COPD patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-three COPD patients and 14 healthy controls underwent rest and peak exercise testing on a bicycle ergometer.
- Cardiac autonomic modulation was assessed using time-frequency analysis of ECG-derived heart rate variability (HRV).
- Specific HRV parameters analyzed included low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) bands, and the LF/HF ratio.
Main Results:
- COPD patients showed a significant increase in the HF band and a significant decrease in the LF/HF ratio from rest to peak exercise.
- Healthy controls exhibited an increase in the LF band and an increase in the LF/HF ratio.
- Autonomic changes were not correlated with clinical parameters like age, gender, or spirometry in COPD patients.
Conclusions:
- The balance of sympathetic to parasympathetic cardiac modulation decreases in COPD patients during maximal exercise.
- COPD patients demonstrate altered cardiac autonomic responses compared to healthy individuals during exertion.
- These findings highlight potential cardiovascular implications of autonomic dysregulation in COPD.