[The relationship between arousal and nocturnal heart rate variability in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between arousal and nocturnal heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).


METHODS
Twenty-seven patients with moderate to severe OSAHS who underwent overnight polysomnography (PSG) were enrolled, excluding patients with cardiopulmonary and nervous system diseases. An hour continuous PSG monitoring in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) was recorded for all patients. The mean heart rate (HR) in 10 s before each arousal and the peak HR in 10 s after arousal were compared, and the breathing disorder related arousal index (B-ArI) and pulse rate rise index (PRRI) were calculated at this time, and then a correlation analysis was performed. Furthermore, according to minimal oxygen saturation (minSaO(2)), 18 patients with moderate-to-severe OSAHS were matched into 10 events with and without EEG arousal in NREM, and then DeltaHR at apnea termination between these events were compared.


RESULTS
The peak HR in 10 s after arousal onset [(81.6 +/- 9.4) beats/min] was significantly higher than the mean HR in 10 s before arousal onset [(69.6 +/- 7.3) beats/min, t = -14.87, P < 0.01], and B-ArI was positively correlated to PRRI (r = 0.97, P < 0.01). The DeltaHR of events with EEG arousal at apnea termination [(11.1 +/- 2.8) beats/min] was higher than those without EEG arousal [(7.0 +/- 2.4) beats/min, t = 4.702, P < 0.01].


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that arousal can influence the function of cardiovascular regulation. Frequent arousal is one of the main causes of the cardiovascular consequences in OSAHS patients.
Wang
Yan
Y
Department of Respiratory Medicine, General Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300052, China.
Chen
Bao-yuan
BY
Cao
Jie
J
Guo
Mei-nan
MN
Dong
Li-xia
LX
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology*