Key result
Women with fibromyalgia or Gulf War illness show lower HRV, suggesting sex-dependent autonomic abnormalities.
Why the study?
Does heart rate variability differ by sex in patients with fibromyalgia or Gulf War illness compared to healthy controls?
Observational (n=73)
Does heart rate variability differ by sex in patients with fibromyalgia or Gulf War illness compared to healthy controls?
Autonomic dysfunction, as measured by decreased heart rate variability, appears to be sex-dependent in fibromyalgia and Gulf War illness, affecting women but not men.
Sex-specific HRV assessment may merit consideration in fibromyalgia and Gulf War illness; leaves open prospective validation and therapeutic implications.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate autonomic abnormalities in male and female fibromyalgia (FM) and Gulf War illness (GWI) patients by comparing heart rate variability (HRV) with that of age- and sex-matched healthy controls. METHODS: Subjects included 26 (19 women, 7 men) with FM, 11 (6 men, 5 women) with GWI, and 36 (18 men,18 women) healthy controls. HRV was determined from Holter recordings obtained in the Clinical Research Center. Analysis of variance compared 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime HRV by sex within groups and by group within sex. RESULTS: In women with FM or GWI, HRV was significantly lower than in men with FM or GWI. HRV was similar in male and female controls. When HRV was compared by group within sex, HRV was significantly decreased in women with FM or GWI and no significant differences were seen for men with these conditions. CONCLUSION: Decreased HRV in FM and GWI appears to be sex dependent. Results suggest that different mechanisms may be operative in symptom expression in men and women with this spectrum of illness.
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Stein et al. (2004) conducted an observational in Fibromyalgia and Gulf War illness (n=73). Fibromyalgia and Gulf War illness vs. Age- and sex-matched healthy controls was evaluated on Heart rate variability. Women with fibromyalgia or Gulf War illness had significantly lower heart rate variability compared to men with these conditions and healthy controls, suggesting sex-dependent autonomic abnormalities.
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