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Heart period variability in patients with variant angina
T Tsuchiya1, K Okumura, H Yasue
1Division of Cardiology, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Japan.
The American Journal of Cardiology
|May 1, 1996
Summary
Variant angina patients show reduced cardiac autonomic control, particularly those with multivessel spasm. Treatment with calcium antagonists improved these autonomic function indexes in multivessel spasm patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Autonomic Nervous System Function
- Heart Rate Variability
Background:
- Variant angina is a condition affecting cardiac autonomic control.
- Understanding autonomic dysfunction is crucial for managing variant angina.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cardiac autonomic control in patients with variant angina.
- To differentiate autonomic function between 1-vessel and multivessel spasm groups.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of heart period variability using 24-hour Holter ECG.
- Comparison of patients with variant angina (1-vessel and multivessel spasm) and control subjects.
- Assessment of autonomic function indexes like SDNN, pNN50, and frequency-domain measures.
Main Results:
- Patients with variant angina had slightly lower SDNN and pNN50 compared to controls.
- Multivessel spasm patients exhibited significantly lower heart rate variability (MN, SDNN, pNN50, HF, LF power) and a higher LF/HF ratio than 1-vessel spasm patients and controls.
- Autonomic dysfunction in multivessel spasm patients normalized after calcium antagonist treatment.
Conclusions:
- Variant angina is associated with depressed cardiac vagal control.
- A sympathetic-dominant sympathovagal interaction is evident, especially in multivessel spasm.
- Calcium antagonist therapy can restore autonomic balance in these patients.