TY - JOUR
T1 - Heart rate variability in sarcoidosis
T2 - A frequency domain analysis
AU - Tiran, Boaz
AU - Heller, Israel
AU - Isakov, Aharon
AU - Barnea, Ofer
AU - Greif, Joel
AU - Topilsky, Marcel
PY - 2004/12
Y1 - 2004/12
N2 - Little is known about autonomic dysfunction in patients with sarcoidosis. Heart rate variability (HRV) studies provide information regarding sympathetic and vagal tone and are both noninvasive and relatively simple to perform. The objective of this study was to compare HRV in sarcoidosis patients and in healthy controls. We prospectively analyzed data from 12 sarcoidosis patients and 12 healthy volunteers. Electrocardiographic (ECG) data were recorded from all study participants, and HRV analysis was performed in the frequency domain. The sarcoidosis patients underwent echocardiography as well. Mean values for HRV in the high-frequency (HF) domain were significantly reduced in sarcoidosis patients (182±102 ms2 vs. 758±457 in controls, p=0.001). We also observed a trend (p=0.055) towards an increased ratio of low-frequency (LF) to high-frequency power in sarcoidosis patients. Our findings indicate the possibility of altered sympathovagal balance in sarcoidosis. Since 5 of these 12 sarcoidosis patients had mild echocardiographic abnormalities, possibly related to sarcoidosis, we were unable to conclude whether the HRV findings were attributable solely to an autonomic dysfunction in sarcoidosis or whether they were related to a structural myocardial involvement of the disease.
AB - Little is known about autonomic dysfunction in patients with sarcoidosis. Heart rate variability (HRV) studies provide information regarding sympathetic and vagal tone and are both noninvasive and relatively simple to perform. The objective of this study was to compare HRV in sarcoidosis patients and in healthy controls. We prospectively analyzed data from 12 sarcoidosis patients and 12 healthy volunteers. Electrocardiographic (ECG) data were recorded from all study participants, and HRV analysis was performed in the frequency domain. The sarcoidosis patients underwent echocardiography as well. Mean values for HRV in the high-frequency (HF) domain were significantly reduced in sarcoidosis patients (182±102 ms2 vs. 758±457 in controls, p=0.001). We also observed a trend (p=0.055) towards an increased ratio of low-frequency (LF) to high-frequency power in sarcoidosis patients. Our findings indicate the possibility of altered sympathovagal balance in sarcoidosis. Since 5 of these 12 sarcoidosis patients had mild echocardiographic abnormalities, possibly related to sarcoidosis, we were unable to conclude whether the HRV findings were attributable solely to an autonomic dysfunction in sarcoidosis or whether they were related to a structural myocardial involvement of the disease.
KW - Autonomic dysfunction
KW - Frequency domain analysis
KW - Heart rate variability
KW - Sarcoidosis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=12844284709&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ejim.2004.10.004
DO - 10.1016/j.ejim.2004.10.004
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AN - SCOPUS:12844284709
SN - 0953-6205
VL - 15
SP - 518
EP - 522
JO - European Journal of Internal Medicine
JF - European Journal of Internal Medicine
IS - 8
ER -