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Heart rate variability in white-coat hypertension

Line B Madsen1, Jens K Rasmussen, Dorthe S Møller

  • 1Department of Medical Research, Holstebro Hospital and Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. libma@ringamt.dk

Blood Pressure Monitoring
|March 19, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis reveals impaired autonomic responsiveness in essential hypertension patients compared to controls. White-coat hypertension showed no distinct HRV differences from essential hypertension or normotension.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Autonomic Nervous System Function
  • Hypertension Research

Background:

  • Essential hypertension and white-coat hypertension are distinct conditions affecting blood pressure regulation.
  • Heart rate variability (HRV) is a non-invasive measure of autonomic nervous system activity.
  • Understanding HRV in hypertensive states can offer insights into cardiovascular pathophysiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare heart rate variability (HRV) between patients with essential hypertension, white-coat hypertension, and normotensive controls.
  • To explore the relationship between HRV parameters and vasoactive hormones in these groups.

Main Methods:

  • HRV was assessed at rest, during standing, and controlled forced breathing in 19 essential hypertensive, 8 white-coat hypertensive, and 13 normotensive individuals.
  • Power spectral density analysis using Fourier transformation was employed to calculate HRV.
  • Baseline plasma renin concentration was measured.

Main Results:

  • Controlled breathing induced a smaller decrease in low frequency (LF) variation in hypertensive patients compared to normotensive controls (P=0.03).
  • The reduction in LF/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio during controlled breathing was significantly different between hypertensive and normotensive groups (P=0.037).
  • A positive correlation was observed between resting plasma renin concentration and both LF and LF/HF parameters (r=0.330, P=0.037 and r=0.378, P=0.016, respectively).

Conclusions:

  • Observed HRV differences suggest impaired autonomic challenge responsiveness in essential hypertension.
  • HRV spectrum analysis did not differentiate white-coat hypertension from essential hypertension or normotension.
  • These findings contribute to understanding autonomic dysfunction in hypertension.
Abstract

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