The variability of the heart rate (HRV) is the expression of the fluctuations in the frequency of cardiac contractions in relation to its average level. This property of biological processes is associated with the need to adapt the human body to diseases and changing environmental conditions. Variability shows how the heart reacts to the impact of various internal and external factors.
Why is it important to carry out HRV analysis?
The process of adaptation of the organism to various stimuli requires the expenditure of its information, metabolic and energy resources. With various changes in the external environment or the development of any pathology in order to maintain homeostasis, higher levels of management of the cardiovascular system begin to act. Spectral analysis of heart rate variability allows us to estimate how effectively it interacts with other systems. This type of examination is actively used in functional diagnostics, since it in any cases reliably reflects various vital indicators of the physiological functions of the organism, for example, vegetative balance.
Evaluation of heart rate variability is carried out by two methods:
- Time analysis - a simple example of measurement in the time domain is the calculation of the deviation of the length of intervals between successive contractions of the cardiac muscle.
- Frequency analysis - reflects the regularity of cardiac contractions, that is, shows the change in their number in a range of different frequencies.
What is the deviation from the HRV norm?
If the variability of the heart rate is sharply reduced, this may indicate an acute myocardial infarction . This condition is also observed in patients suffering from:
- ischemic disease;
- diabetes mellitus;
- Guillain-Barre syndrome ;
- hypertensive disease;
- multiple sclerosis;
- Parkinson's disease.
The variability of the heart rate is always lower in patients with uremia and in patients who take a drug such as Atropine. Low results of HRV analysis can talk about dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system and psychological diseases. The parameters of the study are used to assess the severity of the disease. The variability of the heart rate also deviates greatly from the norm in depression, emotional burnout syndrome and other psychological problems.