Sinus pauses in early human malnutrition during waking and sleeping

7 malnourished infants were studied before and after nutritional rehabilitation through long term polygraphic recordings during waking and sleeping. High amounts of sinus pauses (R-R interval comprised between 20 and 90% of the preceding interval) have been found in malnourished infants, mainly during quiet sleep. After the nutritional rehabilitation there is a dramatic reduction. The high amount of sinus pauses in infants suffering from severe malnutrition may reflect a disturbance of neurovegetative regulation, which is enhanced by sleep.