Heart rate turbulence analysis in female patients with fibromyalgia

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:Fibromyalgia is characterized by diffuse musculoskeletal pain and discomfort. There are several reports regarding autonomic nervous system dysfunction in patients with fibromyalgia. Heart rate turbulence is expressed as ventriculophasic sinus arrhythmia and has been considered to reflect cardiac autonomic activity. Heart rate turbulence has been shown to be an independent and powerful predictor of sudden cardiac death in various cardiac abnormalities. The aim of this study is to determine whether heart rate turbulence is changed in female patients with fibromyalgia compared with healthy controls.METHODS:Thirty-seven female patients (mean age, 40±11 years) with fibromyalgia, and 35 age- and sex-matched healthy female control subjects (mean age, 42±9 years) were included. Twenty-four hours of ambulatory electrocardiography recordings were collected for all subjects, and turbulence onset and turbulence slope values were automatically calculated.RESULTS:The baseline clinical characteristics of the two groups were similar. There were no significant differences in turbulence onset and turbulence slope measures between patients and control subjects (turbulence onset: −1.648±1.568% vs. −1.582±1.436%, p ϝ 0.853; turbulence slope: 12.933±5.693 ms/RR vs. 13.639±2.505 ms/RR, p ϝ 0.508). Although body mass index was negatively correlated with turbulence slope (r ϝ −0.258, p ϝ 0.046), no significant correlation was found between body mass index and turbulence onset (r ϝ 0.228, p ϝ 0.054).CONCLUSION:To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate heart rate turbulence in patients with fibromyalgia. It appears that heart rate turbulence parameters reflecting cardiac autonomic activity are not changed in female patients with fibromyalgia.

HRT assessment reviewed: a systematic review of heart rate turbulence methodology

“…The refI is often defined ambiguously, for example as '5 consecutive sinus intervals' (Golukhova et al 2016), 'normal RR-interval' (Jochum et al 2012), 'the sinus RR interval' (Jeron et al 2003) or 'normal interval' (La et al 2011, La et al 2012, not giving the range on which basis refI is calculated. Some articles give as filtering reference the HRT analysis software HRT View or the algorithm from www.h-r-t.org/.com 9 , but their reported values of the number of intervals used for filtering differ from the default values of the software tools (2 preRRs and 15 postRRs) (Wustmann et al 2009, Dursun et al 2015, Celik et al 2011, Karakurt et al 2007, Yorgun et al 2012, Celik et al 2011b, Schwab et al 2011a, Celik et al 2012, Iwasa et al 2005.…”

“…Minimal number of suitable ventricular premature contractions (VPCs) used for heart rate turbulence (HRT) calculation Avsar et al (2007),Dursun et al (2015),Roach et al (2002),Watanabe et al (2006). Cygankiewicz et al (2008),Kilic et al (2008), Cagirci et al (2009,Osman et al (2004),Berkowitsch et al (2004), Kop et al (2010),Harris et al (2013),Manzano-Fernández et al (2011),Poliwczak et al (2014),Pinnacchio et al (2015),Carney et al (2007),Wongcharoen et al (2013),Szymanowska et al (2008),Kilit et al (2015),Park et al (2014),Hayano et al (2011),,Stein et al (2011),,Stein et al (2008),,Stein et al (2010),Stein et al (2010),Ortak et al (2005),), Casella et al (2006,Savelieva et al (2003),…”

Prevalence of Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Its Correlations with Arrhythmia in Patients with Palpitations

“…Meeus et al (7) found that there is an increase in the autonomic activity and there are fluctuations regarding the stable and unstable heart rates of patients with FMS. Contrary to this, Dursun et al (24) found that the heart rate turbulence parameters reflecting cardiac autonomic activity did not change in female patients with FMS compared to healthy controls. In our study, EPS parameters (especially AH interval) were used in order the detect autonomic changes but no significant clinical data could be identified.…”