title: Heart rate variability parameters and ventricular arrhythmia correlate with pulmonary arterial pressure in adult patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This aim of this study was to correlate heart rate variability (HRV) parameters to pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) in patients with purely idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  HRV is decreased in patients with PAH. Whether HRV indices can be used to assess PAP in IPAH patients remains unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  HRV parameters obtained by 24-h ECG were evaluated in 26 IPAH patients and 51 controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Time-domain HRV parameters (SDNN, p < 0.0001; SDANN, p < 0.0001; RMSSD, p = 0.006) were lower in IPAH patients. Frequency-domain indices (high-frequency power, HFP, p = 0.001; low-frequency power, LFP, p = 0.003; total power, TP, p = 0.001) were also decreased in IPAH patients. In IPAH patients, RMSSD (p = 0.001), HFP (p = 0.015), and LFP (p = 0.027) were significantly correlated with PAP. IPAH patients had longer QTc intervals (p < 0.0001) and more premature ventricular contractions (p < 0.0001) than controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IPAH is associated with autonomic dysfunction. RMSSD, HFP, and LFP may be used as a supplemental tool to assess PAP in IPAH patients. IPAH patients with autonomic dysfunction are at high risk for ventricular arrhythmia.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hung-Tao
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Financial and Computational Mathematics, Providence University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Cheng
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tsu-Juey
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Jin-Long
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Life Science, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Wen
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kae-Woei
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Institute of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Institute, Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chieh-Shou
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wan-Jane
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Division of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Group, Institute of Medicine, Chung-Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. Electronic address: wky830@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kuo-Yang
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000503:physiopathology*; D062186:Arterial Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D065627:Familial Primary Pulmonary Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: Autonomic dysfunction; Heart rate variability; Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension; Pulmonary arterial pressure; Ventricular arrhythmia