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. 2023 Oct 3:14:1247054.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1247054. eCollection 2023.

Determinants of the heart rate variability in type 1 diabetes mellitus

Máté Hajdu  1 , Konstandia Garmpis  1 , Vivien Vértes  1 , Noémi Vorobcsuk-Varga  2 , Gergő Attila Molnár  3 , László Hejjel  1 , István Wittmann  3 , Réka Faludi  1
Affiliations

Determinants of the heart rate variability in type 1 diabetes mellitus

Máté Hajdu et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Background: Evaluation of heart rate variability (HRV) detects the early subclinical alterations of the autonomic nervous system. Thus, impaired HRV is the earliest subclinical marker of cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).

Objectives: We aimed to explore the HRV parameters in asymptomatic T1DM patients and compare them with the results obtained in healthy subjects. Potential associations between HRV parameters and the established risk factors for CAN and cardiovascular diseases were also investigated.

Methods: Seventy T1DM patients (38 ± 12 years, 46 females) and 30 healthy subjects were enrolled into the study. For HRV analysis, beat-to-beat heart rate was recorded for 30 min. The less noisy 5-min segment of the recording was analyzed by Bittium Cardiac Navigator HRV analysis software. Time domain, frequency domain, and nonlinear indices were calculated.

Results: Regarding ratio of low to high frequency component (LF/HF), no differences were found between the two populations (p = 0.227). All the further, time domain, frequency domain, and nonlinear HRV indices were significantly lower in T1DM patients (each p < 0.001). In multiple linear models, disease duration remained the only independent predictor of LF/HF ratio (p = 0.019). HbA1c was found to be significant independent predictor of all further time domain (SDNN, p < 0.001; rMSSD, p < 0.001), frequency domain (VLF, p < 0.001; LF, p = 0.002; HF, p = 0.006; Total Power, p = 0.002), and nonlinear indices (SD1, p = 0.006; SD2, p = 0.007), alone, or in combination with other factors, such as age or body mass index.

Conclusion: Asymptomatic T1DM patients have significantly reduced overall HRV as compared with healthy subjects, indicating subclinical CAN. Quality of the glycemic control is important determinant of HRV among T1DM patients. This relationship is independent of other risk factors for CAN or cardiovascular diseases.

Keywords: cardiac autonomic neuropathy; cardiovascular risk factor; glycemic control; heart rate variability; type 1 diabetes mellitus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
HRV parameters in the T1DM population and comparison with healthy subjects: Independent samples Mann-Whitney U test results.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Disease duration was found to be the only independent predictor of LF/HF ratio in multiple model.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Partial regression plots demonstrate that in multiple models HbA1c (%) shows significant correlation with SDNN (A), rMSSD (B), LF (C), and with SD1 (D). Partial correlation coefficients are reported.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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