Key result
Heart rate variability parameters showed only weak negative correlations (r < 0.38) with the quality of life domain of autonomy in healthy children, suggesting HRV primarily reflects physiological development rather than quality of life.
Why the study?
Does heart rate variability correlate with quality of life in healthy children and adolescents?
Cross-Sectional (n=160)
Does heart rate variability correlate with quality of life in healthy children and adolescents?
In healthy children and adolescents, heart rate variability shows only minor correlations with quality of life, specifically in the domain of autonomy, and primarily reflects autonomic nervous system physiological processes.
HRV should not inform quality-of-life assessment in healthy children; leaves open its role as an autonomic maturation marker.
BACKGROUND: Quality of life (QoL), being the sum expression of diverse influencing factors, is not easy to determine. A clinically relevant option would be to identify and measure quality of life on the basis of physiological parameters which correlate plausibly and statistically with psychometrically measured QoL. Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) offers readily measurable physiological parameters which could be of use here. A correlation of HRV with both course of disease and QoL has been reported in patients with chronic illness. Various psychometric instruments have been developed for use in paediatric oncology. The aim of this study was to obtain data on HRV and QoL and their correlations, initially in healthy children. METHODS: Holter ECG and quality of life were examined in 160 children and adolescents (72 male) aged between 8 and 18 years. QoL was determined with the established questionnaire PEDQoL. Standard parameters of HRV from the frequency domain were calculated and correlated with QoL domains using Spearman (nonparametric) correlation analysis. RESULTS: Minor but significant associations were revealed only with regard to the PEDQoL domain "autonomy" on the one hand and heart rate and HRV (e.g. MRR, MRRn, MRRd, HRV_ULF, SDNN) parameters which evidently reflect distinct physiological functions on the other. CONCLUSIONS: In healthy children and adolescents we have a first indication that there is a correlation between parameters of HRV and QoL. However, to a greater extent, HRV reflects associated physiological processes of the autonomic nervous system. A higher correlation is more likely to be found in chronically ill children.
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Seifert et al. (2014) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy children and adolescents (n=160). Heart rate variability was evaluated on Correlation between heart rate variability parameters and quality of life domains (PEDQoL). Heart rate variability parameters showed only weak negative correlations (r < 0.38) with the quality of life domain of autonomy in healthy children, suggesting HRV primarily reflects physiological development rather than quality of life.
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