INFLUENCE OF THE TOTAL POWER OF THE HEART RATE VARIABILITY SPECTRUM ON THE SPECTRAL PARAMETERS DISTRIBUTION IN PATIENTS WITH ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION IN A PACED BREATHING TEST

Abstract

To determine the effect of the total power (TP) of the heart rate variability (HRV) spectrum on the distribution of high, low and very low frequency waves, 40 patients with arterial hypertension (AH) at the age of 58 ± 9 years were divided into 5 groups according to the degree of TP decrease in the initial stage of the test: 1st – more than 3000 ms2; 2nd – 3000–2000 ms2; 3rd – 2000-1000 ms2; 4th – 1000–500 ms2; 5th – less than 500 ms2. To assess HRV parameters in each group, 3 stages of the paced breathing test with a double (light and sound) metronome were evaluated; the hardware and software complex «Cardiolab» («HAI-Medica») was used. The distribution of the parameters was estimated taking into account the median, 25 and 75 quartiles. To estimate the differences between the statistical samples, the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U-test was used, as well as the Craskell–Wallis criterion. Statistically significant differences were considered between the data at a value of p < 0.05. It was found that the greater is the degree of TP reduction, the more significant is the autonomic imbalance, as well as the decrease in the influence of paced breathing on the regulation of the heart rhythm; at TP values below 1000 ms2 not only the parasympathetic component decrease is observed, but also the transition from sympathicotonia to the neurohumoral factors prevalence.

Keywords

• arterial hypertension
• heart rate variability
• paced breathing