Association of heart rate variability with silent cerebral lesions in a Japanese general population: a cross-sectional cohort study

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25893097
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Epidemiology and preventive medicine
• Research Institution: Shiga University of Medical Science
• Principal Investigator: HISAMATSU Takashi 滋賀医科大学, アジア疫学研究センター, 特任助教 (60710449)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-08-30 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 疫学 / 心拍変動 / 無症候性脳血管障害 / 24時間心電図

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects the autonomic nervous system. Little is known regarding the association of HRV with stroke risk in a general population. We conducted a cross-sectional study in a population-based sample of apparently healthy Japanese men to examine the association of nighttime (2 am to 2:15 am) and 24-hour HRV indices (SDNN, LF, HF, LF/HF ratio) quantified by 24-hour electrocardiogram with silent cerebral lesions (lacunar infarcts, microbleeds, white matter hyperintensities, brain artery stenoses) evaluated by brain magnetic resonance imaging. We found no significant associations between these HRV indices and silent cerebral lesions. In conclusion, in a community-based sample of Japanese men without clinical cardiovascular disease, HRV was not associated with silent cerebral lesions.

Free Research Field

循環器疫学