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Association of High Blood Pressure with Heart Rate Variability in Children
Xie, Gui-Lin; Wang, Jing-hua; Zhou, Yan; Xu, Hui; Sun, Jing-Hui & Yang, Si-Rui
Abstract
Objective: To determine the association between heart rate variability (HRV) and hypertension in Chinese
children.
Methods: The study was conducted in First Hospital of Jilin University, China. A total of 101 children were
recruited in this study. They were divided into a high systolic blood pressure (SBP) group (HS group) and
normal SBP group (NS group) according to the SBP levels. In the second set of experiments, the children were
divided into a high diastolic blood pressure (DBP) group (HD group) and normal DBP group (ND group)
according to the DBP levels. HRV measurements were performed, and the time domain and power spectrum
values were calculated.
Findings: The differences of low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) ratio, HF, and standard deviation of
normal-to-normal RR intervals (SDNN) between daytime and nighttime were obviously abolished in HS and
HD groups. The HS group displayed significantly lower values of HRV over a 24 h period compared to the NS
group (SDNN, standard deviation of the averaged normal-to-normal RR intervals [SDANN], Triangle Index,
root mean square successive difference [RMSSD], total power [TP], ultra-LF [ULF], and HF). Only the Triangle
Index in the HD group was lower than that in ND group.
Conclusion: We provide evidence that HRV is reduced and the circadian rhythm of HRV is weakened in
hypertensive children, and hypothesize that a reduced HRV is a potential pathophysiological mechanism
linking childhood hypertension and adulthood cardiovascular diseases.
Keywords
Heart Rate; Blood Pressure; Hypertension; Children
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