Two-week heart rate variability measurements and lung health: a cross-sectional analysis in the ARIC study

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of autonomic function that has been associated with worse lung function and worse respiratory health. Using data from a community-based cohort, we aimed to test if HRV is associated with lung function and self-reported chronic lung disease (CLD).

The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study is a community-based cohort that collected HRV measurements from 14-day continuous ECG patches and self-reported CLD at visit 6 (2016-2017). Pulmonary function testing was performed a prior visit (visit 5; 2011-2013). We used multivariate linear regression to test cross-sectional associations between HRV and lung function, and logistic regression to test associations between HRV and self-reported CLD. All analyses were adjusted for important confounders including smoking, demographics, and medications.

HRV and lung function measurements were available for 1456 participants. Included participants had a mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of 78.7 ± 4.5 years, 59.6 % were female, and 30.1 % were African American. Higher HRV reflective of overall HRV (standard deviation of normal RR intervals) and sympathetic activity [low frequency (LF) to high frequency (HF) ratio (LF/HF)] were associated with better lung function and lower odds of self-reported CLD. Higher HRV reflective of parasympathetic function (HF) was associated with worse lung function and higher odds of self-reported CLD.

We confirmed associations between HRV and respiratory health outcomes. Our data from a community-based cohort demonstrate the importance of utilizing several HRV measurements to capture multiple components of autonomic function when analyzing respiratory health outcomes.