title: Influence of Smoking Consumption and Nicotine Dependence Degree in Cardiac Autonomic Modulation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Smoking consumption alters cardiac autonomic function.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Assess the influence of the intensity of smoking and the nicotine dependence degree in cardiac autonomic modulation evaluated through index of heart rate variability (HRV).
  
  
  METHODS
  83 smokers, of both genders, between 50 and 70 years of age and with normal lung function were divided according to the intensity of smoking consumption (moderate and severe) and the nicotine dependency degree (mild, moderate and severe). The indexes of HRV were analyzed in rest condition, in linear methods in the time domain (TD), the frequency domain (FD) and through the Poincaré plot. For the comparison of smoking consumption, unpaired t test or Mann-Whitney was employed. For the analysis between the nicotine dependency degrees, we used the One-way ANOVA test, followed by Tukey's post test or Kruskal-Wallis followed by Dunn's test. The significance level was p < 0,05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Differences were only found when compared to the different intensities of smoking consumption in the indexes in the FD. LFun (62.89 ± 15.24 vs 75.45 ± 10.28), which corresponds to low frequency spectrum component in normalized units; HFun (37.11 ± 15.24 vs 24.55 ± 10.28), which corresponds to high frequency spectrum component in normalized units and in the LF/HF ratio (2.21 ± 1.47 vs 4.07 ± 2.94). However, in the evaluation of nicotine dependency, significant differences were not observed (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only the intensity of smoking consumption had an influence over the cardiac autonomic modulation of the assessed tobacco smokers. Tobacco smokers with severe intensity of smoking consumption presented a lower autonomic modulation than those with moderate intensity.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisioterapia, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula Soares Dos
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisioterapia, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Dionei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisioterapia, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gabriela Martins de
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisioterapia, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Alice Soares Dos
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisioterapia, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula Coelho Figueira
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Freire
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana Tiyaki
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Secretaria Municipal de Saúde de Presidente Prudente, Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renato Peretti Prieto
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisioterapia, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Carlos Marques
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Vanderlei
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisioterapia, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Presidente Prudente, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ercy Mara Cipulo
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Ramos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*