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[Recent progress in Holter electrocardiography, focussed on heart rate variability]
1Department of Clinical Laboratory and Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine.
Insights
Heart rate variability (HRV) can predict sudden cardiac death risk. While caffeine and sleep deprivation negatively impact HRV, certain drugs like tofisopam, enalapril, and aprindine show promise in improving autonomic nerve activity.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Autonomic Nervous System Research
- Physiology
Context:
- Heart rate variability (HRV) is a crucial indicator of cardiac autonomic function.
- Low HRV is associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.
- Understanding factors affecting HRV is vital for cardiovascular health management.
Purpose:
- To investigate the impact of lifestyle factors (caffeine, sleep deprivation) and medications on heart rate variability.
- To assess the potential of HRV as a health management tool.
- To identify drugs that may improve autonomic nerve activity.
Summary:
- Caffeine had no effect on HRV in young adults but worsened it in obese middle-aged individuals.
- Whole-day work without sleep increased blood catecholamines and reduced HRV.
- Tofisopam, enalapril, and aprindine significantly improved HRV, suggesting their utility in maintaining autonomic balance.
Impact:
- HRV serves as a valuable index for health management, particularly in assessing cardiovascular risk.
- Findings highlight the detrimental effects of stress and certain substances on autonomic function.
- The study identifies specific drugs that could be beneficial in preventing autonomic nerve diseases and sudden cardiac death.
Abstract:
Heart rate variability has attracted attention as an index of the effects of the autonomic nerve system on the heart rhythm. Heart rate variability (HRV) is low in patients at risk for sudden death. We evaluated the effects of caffeine, whole-day work without sleep and drugs on HRV. Caffeine had no effects on HRV or ventricular extrasystoles in young adults but aggravated those in obese middle-aged subjects. Whole-day work without sleep increased blood catecholamines and decreased HRV. These findings also suggest the usefulness of HRV as an index in health management. Tofisopam, enalapril and aprindine significantly improved HRV. These drug may be useful for maintaining normal autonomic nerve activity and preventing autonomic nerve diseases or sudden cardiac death in this stressful society.