Yonsei Med J.  2014 Sep;55(5):1297-1302. 10.3349/ymj.2014.55.5.1297.

The Association of Heart Rate Variability with Parkinsonian Motor Symptom Duration

• Harnod D
• Wen SH
• Chen SY
• Harnod T

• KMID: 1799494
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2014.55.5.1297

Abstract

PURPOSE
Impaired cardiovascular autonomic regulation is a non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) and may increase long-term morbidity. This study applied frequency-domain analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) to understand the progression of sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiac regulation in patients with PD.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, 21 male and 11 female Taiwanese patients with advanced PD and 32 healthy gender- and age-matched subjects were enrolled. To minimize artifacts due to subject motion, daytime electrocardiograms for 5 minutes were recorded in awake patients during levodopa-on periods and controls. Using fast Fourier transformation, heart rate variables were quantified into a high-frequency power component [0.15-0.45 Hz, considered to reflect vagal (parasympathetic) regulation], low-frequency power component (0.04-0.15 Hz, reflecting mixed sympathetic and parasympathetic regulation), and low-frequency power in normalized units (reflecting sympathetic regulation). The significance of between-group differences was analyzed using the paired t-test. Pearson correlation analysis and stepwise regression analysis were applied to assess the correlation of patient age, PD duration, and disease severity (represented by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale) with each heart rate variables.
RESULTS
Impaired HRV is significantly correlated with the duration of PD, but not with disease severity and patient age. Meanwhile, parasympathetic heart rate variable is more likely than sympathetic heart rate variable to be affected by PD.
CONCLUSION
PD is more likely to affect cardiac parasympathetic regulation than sympathetic regulation by time and the heart rate variables have the association with Parkinsonian motor symptom duration.

Keyword

Autonomic; heart rate variability; Parkinson's disease

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Autonomic Nervous System/*physiopathology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Electrocardiography
Female
Heart Rate/*physiology
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Parkinson Disease/complications/*physiopathology
Regression Analysis

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 The correlations of patient age, PD duration, and UPDRS-off score with heart rate variables. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the rates of LF and HF decline were significantly correlated with PD duration. LF, low frequency power; HF, high frequency power; LF%, LF/(HF+LF) in normalized units; UPDRS-off, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale in levodopa-off period; PD, Parkinson's disease. *p<0.05.

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