Heart rate variability and increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Endocrinology
• Autonomic Neuroscience

Background:

• Limited data exists on the relationship between elevated type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) risk and cardiac autonomic function.
• Heart rate variability (HRV) is a key indicator of autonomic nervous system activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between HRV and a slightly increased risk for developing DM2.
• To determine if impaired cardiac autonomic function is present in individuals with elevated FINDRISC scores.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-nine subjects without DM2, coronary artery disease, or arrhythmias were assessed.
• Participants were divided into two groups based on the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC): Group I (12 > FINDRISC ≥ 7) and Group II (FINDRISC < 7).
• 24-hour electrocardiogram recordings were used to analyze time and frequency domain HRV measures during diurnal and nocturnal periods.

Main Results:

• Subjects with a slightly elevated DM2 risk (Group I) exhibited significantly lower standard deviation of normal RR intervals compared to Group II.
• Reduced frequency domain measures, including total power (TP) and low frequency (LF) power, were observed in Group I during the entire 24-hour period and daytime.
• Low diurnal frequency was independently associated with an elevated risk for DM2 (beta = -0.331; p = 0.006).

Conclusions:

• Slightly elevated risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus may be associated with impaired heart rate variability.
• These findings suggest that HRV analysis could be a valuable tool for early risk assessment of DM2.