Brain-heart autonomic axis across different clinical status and severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

• Published in: Respiratory medicine 2021-08, Vol.185, p.106511-106511, Article 106511
• Main Authors: Castello-Simões, Viviane, Kabbach, Erika Zavaglia, Schafauser, Nathany Souza, Camargo, Patrícia Faria, Simões, Rodrigo Polaquini, Heubel, Alessandro Domingues, Alqahtani, Jaber Saud, da Cunha Martino Pereira, Mariana Brasil, Sgarbosa, Nicole Marques, Borghi-Silva, Audrey, Mendes, Renata Gonçalves
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute exacerbation; Adult; Aged; Autonomic nervous system; Autonomic Nervous System - physiopathology; Brain - physiopathology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Exercise; Female; Heart - innervation; Heart - physiopathology; Heart Rate; Heart rate variability; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Parasympathetic Nervous System - physiopathology; Patient Acuity; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - physiopathology; Respiratory disease; Vagus Nerve - physiopathology; Walk Test
• ISSN: 0954-6111; 1532-3064
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2021.106511

Impairment of cardiac autonomic integrity is common in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The influence of the interaction between clinical and severity status on brain-heart autonomic axis (BHAA) is not well known. We aimed to investigate the BHAA function across different clinical status and severity of COPD. Cross-sectional study involving 77 COPD patients allocated into four groups according to clinical status [acute exacerbation (GAE) or stable (GST)] and severity [less (−) or more (+)]: 1) GAE-, n = 13; 2) GAE+, n = 20; 3) GST-, n = 23; and 4) GST+, n = 21. Heart rate variability (HRV) at rest and heart rate recovery (HRR) after 6-min walk test were markers of BHAA. Mean R-R, STDRR, RMSSD, RRtri, HF, LF, SD1, SD2, ApEn and SampEn were the HRV indexes and, HRR was obtained as: HR at 1st min of recovery minus peak HR. A main effect of clinical status (p