Heart rate recovery and chronotropic incompetence in patients with prehypertension

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Autonomic Nervous System Function
• Hypertension Research

Background:

• Prehypertension is a precursor to hypertension, characterized by elevated blood pressure levels.
• Autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction can precede cardiovascular disease development.
• Heart rate recovery (HRR) and chronotropic incompetence (CIc) are key indicators of ANS function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate autonomic nervous system function in prehypertension using HRR and CIc.
• To compare ANS function between patients with prehypertension, hypertension, and normal blood pressure.
• To identify factors influencing HRR in these patient groups.

Main Methods:

• Subjects were categorized into hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg), prehypertension (120-139/80-89 mmHg), and normal (<120/80 mmHg) groups.
• HRR and CIc were measured in 147 prehypertension, 147 hypertension, and 211 normal blood pressure subjects.
• Multiple regression analysis was used to determine factors affecting HRR.

Main Results:

• Prehypertension subjects showed significantly lower HRR compared to normal blood pressure subjects (P<0.05).
• No significant difference in HRR was observed between prehypertension and hypertension groups.
• Hypertension subjects exhibited a significantly higher frequency of CIc than both normal and prehypertension groups (P<0.05).
• Age, waist size, HDL cholesterol, resting heart rate, maximum heart rate, and maximum systolic blood pressure significantly influenced HRR.

Conclusions:

• Autonomic nervous system dysfunction, evidenced by reduced HRR, is present in individuals with prehypertension.
• Prehypertension represents an early stage where ANS dysfunction manifests, preceding overt hypertension.
• These findings underscore the importance of monitoring ANS function in prehypertension for early intervention.