Author(s): Anna Wiedemann1, and Gudrun Gröppel1,2*
Introduction: A normal Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is the result of a balanced relation between the sympathetic and parasympathetic system. A decreased HRV can be an indicator for cardiac diseases or an increased stress level. Changes in HRV might identify diseases that affect the heart rhythm via the autonomic nervous system. This applies to diseases that directly damage the autonomic nervous system and to diseases that influence the autonomic nervous system indirectly, e.g. through permanently increased metabolic stress. However, methods measuring the HRV are varying between the studies and normal values especially in infants are lacking. The current study is aimed to create reference values for the HRV in children aged younger than 18 months.
Methods: A normal Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is the result of a balanced relation between the sympathetic and parasympathetic system. A decreased HRV can be an indicator for cardiac diseases or an increased stress level. Changes in HRV might identify diseases that affect the heart rhythm via the autonomic nervous system. This applies to diseases that directly damage the autonomic nervous system and to diseases that influence the autonomic nervous system indirectly, e.g. through permanently increased metabolic stress. However, methods measuring the HRV are varying between the studies and normal values especially in infants are lacking. The current study is aimed to create reference values for the HRV in children aged younger than 18 months.
Results: We found no significant differences in the different age groups regarding the HRV. By means of linear regression, it was also shown that there were no other significant differences in HRV in children under 18 months of age. But compared to older children in the literature, HRV was found to be significantly lower.
Conclusion: Our results also indicate age-dependent differences when compared to previous findings in the literature and shows that it is important to have age-matching normal values.
