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Heart rate turbulence in children--age and heart rate relationships

Marek Kowalewski1, Marek Alifier, Dariusz Bochen

  • 1Second Department of Pediatrics, Medical University in Białystok, Children's Hospital, 15-274 Białystok, Poland. m.a.kowalewski@wp.pl

Pediatric Research
|October 25, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Heart rate turbulence (HRT) parameters, like turbulence slope, correlate with age and heart rate in children. HRT in older children depends more on autonomic tone and intrinsic factors.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Pediatric Physiology
  • Autonomic Nervous System Function

Background:

  • Heart rate turbulence (HRT) reflects the sinus rhythm's response to ventricular premature beats (VPBs).
  • Childhood autonomic nervous system maturation influences heart rate and cardiovascular responses.
  • Understanding HRT in children is crucial for assessing autonomic function during development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between HRT parameters (turbulence onset and slope), age, and heart rate in healthy children.
  • To explore correlations between HRT and heart rate variability (HRV) time-domain parameters in pediatric populations.
  • To determine how age and heart rate preceding VPBs affect HRT parameters in children.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized 24-hour ECG Holter recordings from 398 healthy children.
  • Analyzed mean RR interval preceding VPB, number of VPBs, and HRT parameters (TO and TS).
  • Correlated HRT parameters with age, heart rate, and HRV metrics.

Main Results:

  • Significant correlations were found between turbulence slope (TS), mean RR interval, and age.
  • Prepubertal children exhibited lower TS values compared to pubertal children.
  • HRT parameters showed correlations with HRV in younger children, while TS was dependent on age and preceding heart rate in older children.

Conclusions:

  • HRT slope is significantly influenced by age and preceding heart rate in children.
  • HRT in older children appears to be modulated by autonomic tone and intrinsic factors.
  • Findings suggest developmental changes in HRT regulation throughout childhood and puberty.

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