To assess by autoregressive model the frequency domain heart rate variability (HRV) during clinostatism and after passive orthostatic load (head-up tilt), 81 hypertensive and normotensive subjects (42 men and 39 women) were subdivided into four groups: 20 adult normotensive subjects (Group 1); 21 elderly normotensive subjects (Group 2); 20 elderly hypertensive subjects with nocturnal blood pressure (BP) falls (Group 3); and 20 elderly hypertensive subjects without nocturnal BP falls (Group 4). They were chosen to assess the influence of aging and arterial hypertension on sympatheticparasympathetic balance. The age-related decrease observed in nearly all HRV spectral frequency components (normalised units [NUs], high frequency [HF] and low frequency [LF]) was reported in elderly patients in rest conditions. LF indexes resulted in decreases in Group 3 and these data seemed to be emphasised in
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