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Impact of long COVID on the heart rate variability at rest and during deep breathing maneuver

Andréa Lúcia Gonçalves da Silva1,2, Luana Dos Passos Vieira3, Luiza Scheffer Dias3

  • 1Department of Health Sciences, University of Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. andreag@unisc.br.

Scientific Reports
|December 20, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Long COVID significantly reduces heart rate variability (HRV) at rest and during deep breathing, indicating potential cardiac autonomic dysfunction in persistent COVID-19 symptoms.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Autonomic Nervous System Research
  • Infectious Disease Research

Background:

  • Persistent symptoms after COVID-19 infection, known as Long COVID, are increasingly recognized.
  • Cardiac and autonomic dysfunction are potential complications of Long COVID.
  • Heart rate variability (HRV) is a key indicator of autonomic nervous system function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate heart rate variability (HRV) in patients experiencing Long COVID.
  • To compare HRV at rest and during deep breathing between Long COVID patients and healthy controls.
  • To investigate potential cardiac autonomic dysfunction associated with Long COVID.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study involving 21 Long COVID patients and 20 healthy controls.
  • Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured using a POLAR system.
  • HRV was assessed at rest in a supine position and during Maximal Slow Respiratory Activity (M-RSA), employing time-domain and non-linear analyses.

Main Results:

  • Long COVID patients exhibited significantly reduced HRV measures at rest, including Mean_iRR, STD_iRR, STD_HR, SD1, SD2, and alpha2.
  • During M-RSA, Long COVID patients showed reduced Mean_iRR, STD_iRR, STD_HR, rMSSD, and RR_tri-index, with a higher Mean_HR.
  • These findings suggest a widespread impairment in cardiac autonomic control among individuals with Long COVID.

Conclusions:

  • Long COVID is associated with significant reductions in heart rate variability (HRV) both at rest and during deep breathing.
  • The observed HRV alterations suggest impaired cardiac autonomic control in patients with persistent COVID-19 symptoms.
  • These results highlight the potential for autonomic dysfunction as a key feature of Long COVID.

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