Key result
Asthmatic children demonstrated significant seasonal variation in heart rate variability (HF band p=0.0003, LF band p=0.008), whereas healthy controls showed no seasonal variation.
Why the study?
Does heart rate variability change by season in asthmatic children compared to healthy controls?
Case-Control (n=201)
Does heart rate variability change by season in asthmatic children compared to healthy controls?
p-value: p=0.0003
Asthmatic children exhibit seasonal variations in heart rate variability, suggesting their autonomic nervous system function is more susceptible to seasonal changes than that of healthy children.
Seasonal HRV changes may signal autonomic vulnerability in asthmatic children; hypothesis-generating and requires confirmation before clinical consideration.
Asthma is a "seasonal disease" with symptoms either aggravated by environmental changes during specific seasons or prevalent at certain times of the year for other reasons. We examined whether the heart rate variability (HRV) of asthmatic children changes by season. The HRV during a portion of one night (00:00-04:00) and day (12:00-16:00) and the entire 24h period (00:00-24:00) during each of the four seasons was analyzed. The data of 95 children with asthma and 106 healthy children, as controls, were assessed. In children with asthma during the 24h period, seasonal variation in the low-frequency (LF) band (0.04-0.15 Hz) and the high-frequency (HF) band (0.15-0.4 Hz) were detected (HF: F=6.81, p=.0003; LF: F=4.18, p= .008). The HF value in the summer was significantly higher than in autumn and spring (Scheffe test: autumn vs. summer, s = 4.46, p < .001: spring vs. summer, s = 2.86, p < .05), while the LF value in autumn was significantly lower than in summer (s = 3.42, p < .01). In the control group, no seasonal variation in HF, LF, or LF/HF was detected. The findings infer the HRV, a surrogate measure of autonomic nervous system function, of asthmatic children is more susceptible to seasonal changes brought about by either endogenous annual rhythms or environmental weather phenomena.
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Kazuma et al. (2000) conducted a case-control in Asthma (n=201). Asthma vs. Healthy children was evaluated on Seasonal variation in the high-frequency (HF) and low-frequency (LF) bands of heart rate variability (p=0.0003). Asthmatic children demonstrated significant seasonal variation in heart rate variability (HF band p=0.0003, LF band p=0.008), whereas healthy controls showed no seasonal variation.
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