Age-related characteristics of heart rate variability in patients with arterial hypertension: the effect of stress and habitual physical activity

Abstract

Objective: identifying age-related changes in the variability of the heart rhythm (HRV) in individuals with arterial hypertension (AG) associated with psychological stress and physical activity (FA) for targeted prevention and rehabilitation. Material and methods: the survey of the main groups consisting of 37 people’s persons (26 young men and 11 girls at the age of 22,2 years) and 94 - 2nd middle age (35 men and 59 women aged 56,0 years) included: questioning, anthropometry, clinical and instrumental examination, electrocardiography, HRV monitoring. Control groups for young people (n = 72) and persons of the 2nd middle age (n = 10) were comparable with the main ones and sex. Results: the frequency of excess body and obesity, low facilities, as well as the average and high levels of psychological stress in young people with AG amounted to 51,4%, 64,1%, and 59,5%, and in middle-aged people with AG — 87,2%, 55,4% and 41,5%, respectively. With AG in persons of the 2nd middle age, in contrast to young people, HRV were characterized at a low level of psychological stress with smaller values of the parameters of SDNN, RMSSD, PNN (50) and VP, which were indicated to a smaller HRV and low parasympathetic activity and, on the contrary, higher the value of the voltage index (VI) reflecting the intensity of the control processes of the heart rhythm; with an average and high levels of stress, statistically significant differences in the above parameters were supplemented by a lower value of the triangular index, which integrally reflects the decrease in WRC. The presence of hypertension in the patients of the 2nd middle age, in contrast to young people and at a low level, and at a moderate and high levels of the FA, was accompanied by a decrease in SDNN, RMSSD, PNN (50) values, which indicated the smaller general HRV, low parasympathetic activity the vegetative nervous system; on the contrary, higher VI confirmed the participation of the central contour and the intensity of the regulation of the rhythm of the heart. Conclusion: determination of the predictors of the development of AG reflecting the general HRV, the sympathy-vagal balance and the tension of the rhythm of the heart rhythm associated with the levels of psychological stress and physical activity, as well as age, can be broadcast in an outpatient practice to designate targets of preventive and rehabilitation activities.