title: Heart rate variability and plasma lipids in men with and without ischaemic heart disease.
abstract: Decreased 24-h heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with increased coronary mortality. The objective of this study was to examine the relation between plasma lipids and HRV (1) in men with a previous myocardial infarction (MI) and left ventricular dysfunction and (2) in healthy men. Forty seven men (mean age 63 years) with a previous MI and a left ventricular ejection fraction < or = 0.40 and 38 healthy men (mean age 37 years) were included. A 24-h Holter recording and fasting blood samples were performed in all the subjects. Plasma total-cholesterol and low-density-lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol were inversely correlated with 24-h HRV in both groups. Plasma cholesterol remained significantly inversely correlated to the 24-h HRV in a stepwise multiple regression analysis. The men were dichotomized according to the mean plasma cholesterol in the study population which was 6.2 mmol/l in patients with a previous M1, and 5.2 mmol/l in the group of healthy men. In both groups, men with plasma cholesterol levels above the mean had the lowest HRV. In conclusion, the data suggest, that hypercholesterolaemia is associated with a decreased 24-h HRV in men with and without ischaemic heart disease, suggesting an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Aalborg Hospital, Denmark. jhc@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toft
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol