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Analysis Study Research Paper | Physiology | India | Volume 11 Issue 2, February 2022
Comparative Study of Heart Rate Variabiliy between Young Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Female Medical Professionals at Resting Supine Posture
Dr. Anuradha Upadhyay [2] | Dr. Manila Jain [2]
Abstract: Background & Objectives: Heart rate variability (HRV) measures the degree of autonomic modulation and sympathovagal balance. Menopause causes an imbalance of the cardiac autonomic nervous control that shifts toward sympathetic predominance. Present study compared HRV in frequency domain spectral components, between young premenopausal and postmenopausal medical professional women in the resting supine posture. Method: It was a comparative, cross-sectional, observational study. After obtaining ethics committee approval, the study population was divided into two groups as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. One group included 40 young premenopausal women aged 18-24 years and the other group included 40 postmenopausal women aged 45-55 years. The power spectrum density for the HRV was calculated in frequency domain by the traditional Fast Fourier transform (FFT) based method. Results: Our study showed that 'Total Power' was significantly lower (p-value< 0.001) in postmenopausal women (917.89+647.67 ms2) as compared to young premenopausal women (4900.82+2876.29 ms2). 'LF Power' was significantly higher (p-value< 0.001) in postmenopausal women (693.14+271.21 ms2) as compared to young premenopausal women (141.60+107.49 ms2), while, 'HF Power' was significantly higher (p-value< 0.001) in young premenopausal women (1186.65+783.73 ms2) as compared to postmenopausal women (134.97+109.85 ms2). In the present study, 'LF/HF ratio' was significantly higher (p-value< 0.001) in postmenopausal women (8.95+2.47) as compared to young premenopausal women (0.22+0.14). Serum estradiol level was significantly lower in postmenopausal women while 'body fat percentage' was significantly higher in postmenopausal women. Interpretation & Conclusion: The 'Total Power', and 'HF Power' is significantly lower, while 'LF Power' and 'LF/HF ratio' is significantly higher in postmenopausal women, which suggests overall reduced parasympathetic drive and poor vasovagal balance. Further, decreased level of serum estradiol and increased body fat percentage indicate sympathetic hyperactivity in postmenopausal women that may lead to higher risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
Keywords: Heart rate variability, Sympathovagal balance, Total Power, LF HF ratio
Edition: Volume 11 Issue 2, February 2022,
Pages: 1291 - 1294