Effect of seasonality and planetary geomagnetic activity index on blood pressure and heart rate

Objective. To assess the influence of seasonality and geomagnetic activity (magnetic storms) on blood pressure and heart rate (HR) in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) according to remote monitoring data. Material and methods. The authors analyzed the database of the multiple-center prospective study “Assessment of clinical and economic effectiveness of remote monitoring in patients with hypertension” as a part of strategic initiative of socio-economic development of Russia “Personal medical assistants”. The studies included patients aged >18 years with hypertension undergoing antihypertensive therapy. Blood pressure and heart rate measurements were performed in the morning and evening. Data of patients living in Tyumen (1.374 people), Novosibirsk (428 people) and Surgut (548 people) were analyzed. The follow-up was conducted between 11/14/2023 and 12/23/2024. Seasonal behavior was characterized by deviation of monthly means from annual average. A generalized linear regression of daily values of physiological parameters adjusted for seasonality and long-term trend was used to quantify the effect of geomagnetic activity. Results. There were significant deviations of mean values of morning and evening blood pressure and heart rate from annual averages. The difference between seasonal maximum and minimum for systolic blood pressure can reach 3-4 mmHg, for heart rate — 1.5 beats/min. Significant increment of morning and evening systolic blood pressure was observed during strong magnetic storms. The greatest effect was found for the evening measurement (1.2 mmHg). Conclusion. This study confirmed blood pressure and heart rate variability in response to magnetic storms and seasonality even in patients undergoing antihypertensive therapy. Further study of the effect of geomagnetic activity index and seasonality on blood pressure and heart rate is of great practical importance.